Wilted
by InconsciousSin
Summary: "I'm the Avatar!" Korra cried as she fell to her knees, "This isn't suppose to happen..." Amon knelt in front of her and held out a white lilac, allowing it to wilt between his fingers. A cackle erupted from beneath his mask letting her know that the metaphor was about to become her reality.
1. Chapter 1: Shadows

**Author's Note: Yeah I was really bored... And came up with this. I guess I'll make a story out of it since I put the time in to write this part. If I end up going with the idea that I have right now for this drabble then it will end up being pretty dark... So if you don't like that, I would go read my other story "Last Call." It's fun and light-hearted while this one is probably going to be far from that. haha Well, enjoy.(: I know its not long, but let me know how you like it so far. I've already begun the next chapter but I'm not going to even bother finishing it if a few people don't tell me how they feel about it so far or if you have an idea for this, let me know and I'll try to go with it! Anyway, enough bulls... time for the story!**

**Revising all chapters, or the ones that need it at least.**

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Chapter One:

_Shadows_

I sat down slowly, my eyes glancing around the dark room. Dawn was approaching; everyone else was sound asleep in the comfort of their warm beds, dreaming of what tomorrow would bring for their hopeless lives. My eyes grew bored of the weary black blobs slowly making shape as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. I turned my attention to the large window behind the couch. Across the rippling tides of water below, was that familiar island where _she _slept. _Korra, _I thought. Her determined blue eyes were so full of cocky ignorance. She thought she held so much power simply because of the title that was handed to her; she's wrong. Korra knows nothing of hard work or true strength. She hadn't lost what I have. Everything has been simply handed to her through her entire life. My mind drifted to her bending abilities; she was powerful but she lacked control. Legend says the Avatar is reincarnated after the previous one passes on to maintain peace and balance in the universe.

I chuckle, watching a distant shadow sway in the light from the temple. There would be no way she would be the one to do this. I hadn't realized my nails were digging into my palms until a snore erupted from a few feet away and drew me back to that dark room. The room felt comfortable but my presence always brought a slight gloom with it. I let out a silent sigh, my eyes still watching the shadow drift in and out of view from the radiating light dancing against the window across the island. The shadow disappeared for the last time in a hurry before another shadow came into view. The new shadow remained long enough for a lecture to proceed before the light went out. I smiled in the dark before turning back around to face the room.

I stared over in one corner where the boy was practically falling off his makeshift bed; his sheet was askew, one leg and both arms were hanging over the sides of the bed. As my eyes continued to adjust to the ominous veil of darkness casting across the apartment, I noted the puddle of drool under his lower lip; a drip of saliva still streaming from the side of his mouth against the pillow. I stood up then without a sound. I slowly sauntered over to Bolin, careful to avoid any creaks in the floorboards. I stood over him, hovering before resting my palm on his forehead. He winced at the touch but did not awaken. I shushed him in a soothing manor. Last time I had seen him, he was so close to losing his earth bending forever but escaped unscathed. The Avatar had saved him.

I glanced back at the window to see the dark temple across the water. All seemed to be still with no light in sight. I then glanced at the other side of the room where the empty, unmade bed lay cold and lonely in the dead of night. I turned back to the snoring bundle of mess beneath my touch. The muscles in my hand tightened against Bolin's forehead, "This time," my voice was low and monotonous not to wake the brother. A sinister smirk traced my damaged face from behind my mask, "You will not be so lucky."

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**Me Again: Short chapter, but this is the only one that will be. I like extensive chapters. I figure if you have to wait for the update, it should be something worth waiting for, right? Anyway, please let me know what you think.**

**-InconsciousSin.**


	2. Chapter 2: So Soft

**Author's Note: When I began writing this I hadn't seen the new episode. So, on the fourth episode, Korra tells Amon to meet her at midnight that night but in my story, surprisingly, I said midnight as well, but it's "tomorrow" night. Sorry, I didn't want to go through and have to change everything just for one minor difference. I will incorporate the other aspects of the brawl from the episode into the story but I just figured I'd get that out of the way now. Thanks for reading! Enjoy(:**

**This has been revised. Just a few kinks needed to be worked out. I will be altering a few of the other chapters as well, but nothing too major.**

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Chapter 2:

_So Soft_

Mako's POV:

I let out a low grunt as I neared the end of my workout. I had done everything from practicing my fire bending to weights to pushups. My muscles were throbbing and my legs were trembling beneath my weight. Steam had begun rising from my shoulders. Beads of sweat were running down my forehead; I wisped them away with the back of my palm before announcing to the empty room that, "I need a shower." I grabbed my black bundle of a bag that I had thrown lazily by the door and stumbled out of the room. The walk to the showers felt longer than usual. I couldn't get the images of Amon out of my head. The terror in my little brother's eyes as he stood facing the demented being was etched into my brain. It was difficult knowing that had Korra been a moment later while activating the steam, my little brother would no longer be able to call himself an earthbender.

The hot water rushed over my body, steaming on impact. I placed my palm against the partition housing the shower head. My mind was racing; images of Korra facing off against the beast on her own while Bolin and I watch from the background. The showdown is supposed to happen tomorrow. Did she really think we would just stand there and let her fight him alone? My forehead rested on the wall while the water continued to wash away the evidence of my long night. I sighed. The rush of heat soothed me, but it wouldn't help me escape my thoughts. The side of my fist hit the wall in frustration. She should have never come here. If she wasn't so irrational and cocky Amon wouldn't even know she was here which would give all of us a great advantage. Instead, she's a show off and far too over confident and exposed herself with no plan in mind. I sighed, turning off the water and grabbing the folded towel on the counter. I dried off, slipping on the spare clothes I had stowed away in my bag.

Then again, if she hadn't been here, Bolin may have still been captured and his bending would have been taken away anyway. I frowned at the thought. My brother is everything to me; he's all I have and I'm all he has. If extending my night workouts and practicing harder in the mornings meant I could better protect him from harm, so be it. I couldn't allow myself to depend on her, Avatar or not. This was my responsibility. I refuse to let that monster near my brother again. I walked up the stairs to the apartment where my brother would be snoring and peaceful. I smiled, rubbing the towel against my head to dry my hair.

I opened the door to the dark, silent room, closing it behind me. I threw the towel on the floor beside my empty bed, sauntering over to it. Even just as a blob in the darkness I could already tell how comfortable my bed would be right about now. One step towards my nighttime paradise I hesitated. Something wasn't right. Bolin was still snoring and I could almost hear his drool hitting the floor like a leaky faucet. Nothing was missing, but something was off. My eyes widened against the black. "The door," I whispered. My heart sank into my chest. I could feel every pulse like electricity. The door was unlocked. I know I locked it before I left, that's why I took the key with me in my bag. My muscles instantly tightened, ignoring the painful cry of weakness rupturing through them due to the late night workout.

"What are you doing here?" My voice sounded foreign to me; there was venom on my tongue as I spat out the words in a low tone. I still hadn't turned around. I would never admit it, but I was terrified. Not for myself, I was terrified knowing whoever was in this room had been in the room with my little brother alone, without me there to protect him. A hand touched my shoulder but I quickly turned around, striking out and hitting air. A soft cackle came from the darkness behind me so I spun around once more, flames shooting from both fists but to no avail. A knuckle made contact with my right temple. I spun my foot around in a complete three sixty but hit nothing. I stood silently, hoping for a creak in the floorboards to indicate where my enemy was but I heard nothing.

"You're weak." The voice was right beside my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck rose.

"Amon," The name left my lips in a hushed mumble as images of what he could've done to Bolin ran through my head. What was he doing here? An intensity sparked inside of me as I spun around before a foot met my chest, throwing me across the room. My back hit Bolin's bed. His snoring stopped before he rolled over and it continued once more. I grabbed his arm, "Bolin! Bolin, get up!" The figure grabbed the collar of my shirt and lifted me from the ground. He messed up; I had my target. I pulled my hand back and quickly shot it forward, a huge flame ignited from my palm and launched forward. I fell backwards once more as the man dropped me. He groaned, gripping his side. I smirked at the smell of burning flesh confirming my accuracy; I had hit him. My eyes were still not adjusted to the darkness of the room but I could now make out the white of his mask. I watched his eyes glance at Bolin then back at me. He slowly began walking backwards. A muffled laugh left the mask and then, somehow, the white vanished.

I scurried to the light. The room showed no sign of our scuffle and Amon was no longer there. Bolin rubbed away the sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing?" He yawned. He sat up, staring at me through squinted eyes. "Mako?" He pointed to the side of my face. I turned away so he wouldn't see the bruising around the outer rim of my eye, "We need to talk to Korra." Bolin smiled, stretching his arms above his head. "Okay, but why?" I opened the door, peering around to make sure Amon wasn't waiting to catch us off guard. "Just get up, we need to go, now." He stared at me with an eyebrow raised, but did as I requested. He threw the sheet aside, sliding out of bed. I continued to stand watch while he changed his clothes.

I rushed my half-asleep brother down the stairs and into the streets. We were walking towards the docks. The walk had been mostly silent while I was lost in thought and Bolin was busy rubbing his tired eyes. I stole a glance at my little brother, worry etched into my features. I knew this, because Bolin caught my stare and forced a smile, "What's wrong?" I didn't speak for a moment. How could I ask him this? What if I really was too late? "When we get to the water, try bending a bridge that we can just walk across to get to the island." He nodded, clearly not understanding that his life and his treasured ability had just been in danger only minutes beforehand.

We reached the water's edge. I watched the smooth waves journey in towards the shore where we stood, collide with the rocks, and then sway back to meet the next wave. It was so peaceful. I know my element is the exact opposite of water, but I couldn't help but marvel at its mysterious simplicity. I continued acknowledging the beauty of my rival element before I heard Bolin's foot hit the ground while his hands were outstretched behind him. He motioned them forward in the shape of a smile, his palms now facing the water. I closed my eyes, praying Amon had not gotten away with his intended reward. Suddenly I heard the water splash as the ground shook. A path of rocky earth rose up leading towards the island. "Piece of cake!" He flashed his teeth at me with an accomplished grin that I happily returned, "Good job, now let's go." I hadn't realized I was holding my breath until I spoke and the air rushed from my lungs, begging for more. Good, I hadn't been too late. My brother still had his bending, and he wasn't even aware that he was ever in danger at all tonight.

Bolin stepped up on the narrow path with confidence while I on the other hand struggled to get my footing at first. We hurried down the path at a pace I was not too proud of. Turning behind me, I noticed that as we walked, pieces of the path would calmly sink back into the water. Bolin lead the way until we reached the island. I stepped up onto the grassy surface just as the final patch of earth began to sink. We began to run, gliding over the grass almost without a sound. We were used to sneaking, having to be completely silent. On the streets anything could happen, unless they didn't know you were present. I now lead the way; however, I had never been in Korra's room before so I didn't exactly know where to go.

Then I remembered our apartment could be seen from here. I glanced across the water and spotted it, locating our window. Taking a few steps backwards towards the shore, I tried to picture the island from our window; I had stared over here numerous times lost in thought, and noticed the girl in a room one night. Now I just had to remember which one. I glanced up and saw the familiar tower, "I think that's it." I whispered to Bolin. He nodded as we made our way around to the other side of the building. On the other side there were guards in their watch tower. Luckily, they were all laughing loudly around a table with a dimly lit candle for light.

I ushered for Bolin to follow suit as I wandered back to the other side of the building on tiptoes. "Is there any way for you to lift us up there without making any noise?" Bolin thought for a moment, scratching the back of his head. He shrugged, "It's our only option I guess, so it's worth a shot." Before I could even muster up a thought I was being catapulted through the, luckily, open window thanks to a large, growing hunk of earth Bolin had created beneath me. I grabbed hold of the windowsill as he did the same for himself. In moments he was beside me, pushing me through the window. He jumped, barely making it through the window but I grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him through. He held his finger to his lips and shushed me at the sound of a girl's soft snoring. We were crawling towards the door to close it, just in case we had made more noise than we thought when I heard my name. "Mako," The girl mumbled in a tired voice. I turned to face the bed, "Yeah, sorry. We just really need to ta"- I was cut off as a soft moan left her lips. She rolled over onto her back. She was still sleeping. Was she dreaming about me? My heart began to beat at an unusually fast pace.

I raised an eyebrow, not even understanding my own body right now as I stared at her for a moment before slowly crawling to the door and closing it gently. Bolin was sitting Indian style beside Korra's bed, watching her with a confused expression, "Is she dreaming about you Mako?" I tensed. She moaned once more before a playful giggle left her lips, "…so soft…" She mumbled. I began to blush, "Um, no. I'm sure she said something else." Bolin stared at me with no expression. "Mako, stop it," She let out another giggle after she swatted a hand at the air. Bolin was holding back a laugh but failed as he fell backwards, laughing loudly. I growled while leaning my back against the door with my arms crossed. I felt heat rushing to my cheeks. I silently thanked Agni that it was dark and my brother wouldn't notice my embarrassment. "I want you so-" Korra stopped mumbling in her sleep, opening her eyes at the sound of Bolin's boisterous laughter.

She sat up quickly with a scream at the site of two dark figures in her bedroom. She pulled the sheet closer to herself, drawing the water from a glass on her nightstand and lashing it out at me. I barely dodged it by diving to the side and blocking my face with my forearm, "Whoa, easy!" Korra gasped, narrowing her eyes to steady her vision. "Mako?" She sat up to see Bolin still rolling on the floor at the end of her bed. "Wh-what are you guys doing here?" Bolin wiped a tear from his eye as he recomposed himself. "Mako just wanted to come talk to you but it sounds like you wanted a little more than that." He laughed once more. Funny, I figured he'd be jealous of his "fan girl" saying his older brother's name in her sleep. At this moment, I kind of wish he was instead of making things even more awkward. I wouldn't admit it, but the sound of her whispering my name made my entire body go numb. I don't know if this was a good feeling or not but I didn't enjoy feeling like this especially when the one causing me to feel this way was irritating and obnoxious.

Korra began to blush wildly, "I don't know what you're talking about." I pushed myself away from the door walking over to them. "'So soft?'" I muttered as a playful smirk touched my lips. She glared at me. "I was referring to your bending. You're, uh, soft. You know, weak." Her hands were on her hips. The way she spoke was in a matter-of-fact tone that just egged me on. Usually these kinds of insults didn't bother me one bit but the moment she said 'weak' the word repeated in my head in Amon's voice, "_You're weak." _I balled my hands into fists, "I'm weak? You're the one dreaming about 'wanting' me when you should be focusing on the brawl you irrationally planned." She threw her sheets and hurried to her feet, the blush still radiating against her cheeks. "Wanting you? I said that?" She turned to Bolin. He laughed once more, "Yeah ya did!" She looked at the ground for a moment before meeting my gaze once more, "W-uh, well I am trying not to think about," She glanced away with fear evident in her eyes, "Amon." She grew silent for a moment, clearly her train of thought had left her before she glared back at me once more. "Besides, I was awake the whole time, ever since you walked through that door! I was faking it as a joke!"

I crossed my arms with a grin, "Oh yeah? Because we came in through the window." I nodded my head towards the open glass. Korra growled, rubbing the side of her head vigorously as if trying to scrub away her stupidity. I hated to admit to her it wasn't going to happen. She sat back down on the bed, pulling her white nightgown down to cover herself. "Either way, I wasn't dreaming about you so just drop it, city boy." I was good at that. I let my arms fall to my sides and my smile fade. I grew serious as I opened my mouth to speak. Bolin on the other hand was still chuckling under his breath before the jealousy finally sunk in. He began to mope realizing his dream girl had opposing dreams in mind. I ignored him, hoping he wouldn't pay attention to what I was about to say, "Amon broke into our apartment tonight while Bolin was sleeping. Luckily, I didn't go to bed early and I got back to the apartment just in time. The only thing is I don't know why he was there in the first place when you were right across the bay."

Korra frowned as she stared down at Bolin, "What? Are you okay?" Bolin's face was pale, "Who was there? What? Why didn't you tell me? That psycho was watching me sleep?" I pinched the bridge of my nose. "That's not the issue, the issue is figuring out what Amon is plotting." Korra sat back on the edge of her bed, tugging one leg at a time against her chest. She held onto them tightly as if this simple act would protect her; that fear was back in her eyes. I knew she wouldn't admit it, but the thought of facing off against Amon terrified her. My gaze softened and my voice followed suit as I knelt in front of her, "Korra, it'll be okay. You're the Avatar." I could tell my terrible comforting skills did nothing to soothe her; she pulled her legs closer, resting her chin against them.

Bolin sat beside her. "Why was he in our room?" He asked me, as if I were some magical, all-knowing guru. "Why do you think I wanted to come here? I have no idea, Bolin. I was just as shocked as you when I came into our room and got attacked." Korra's eyes widened slightly. I clearly used the wrong choice of words. Her eyes fell to my swelling temple for the first time. "He attacked you…" She hid her face in her knees with a sigh before standing up with clear anger now radiating against her azure pools. "Alright. I'm going to finish this guy." She opened her palm, punching it, "For good."

"Calm down, Korra. You allow your emotions to control your behavior to a generous extent. This could potentially be fatal if you don't begin thinking things through." I jumped up at the deep voice standing in the doorway. I hadn't even heard the door open. There stood a tall, bald man dressed in the traditional yellow and crimson robes of an air bender. "Tenzin," Korra clearly saw the look on my face as she stated with a nod towards the man. I recomposed myself, remembering meeting the man at one of our tournaments. "Of course. Nice to meet you again. Sorry to sneak in so late. It was an emergency of sorts." I shrugged. He frowned, "Yes I heard. I suppose we need to increase our security around here." He sounded annoyed that his security attempts were not working.

Korra didn't say anything to rebuttal against Tenzin's words, which I found odd. She stared with no emotion at the man, responding to his first statement. "Then what do you expect me to do? Everyone is counting on me. They all want Amon to be taken down and apparently they think I'm the one to do it." He walked into the room, stepping in front of me to place a comforting hand on the young Avatar's shoulder. "Yes, but you are not ready, Korra." Her gaze fell to the floor then turned to look at Bolin before her gaze settled on me. "Yeah but it looks like I have to be." She shrugged away his hand, sauntering to the window. "I have to fight Amon tomorrow night, alone. I can't let anyone else get hurt." I became enraged, remembering back to the party earlier that night. She was practically pressured into agreeing to eliminate Amon due to the overwhelming crowd. She really thought she had to do this alone. I knew any kind of disagreement with her decision would be of no avail so I stood silently, watching her stare out the window.

"My air bending will have to wait. He's made this personal by going after Bolin." Her eyes narrowed. However scared she was, that fear was invisible as her determination kicked into high gear. She turned back to face us, "He made a big mistake. I don't care how many followers he has. I'll show 'em all what being a bender really means if I have to!" Her voice was louder now. She had a problem letting her emotions control her, Tenzin had that accusation dead on.

My brow furrowed, "You don't know what kind of power he possesses. Why don't you listen? Tenzin has a point. He came after us but what will the world do if the Avatar loses her bending? He has a plan. He has to. Once we find out what that is, then we can strike." I raised a fist to enunciate my point. Our eyes met and I knew she was going to fight me on this. She thought for a moment before shrugging. "Fine." She stated. We were all taken aback by her simple response. No fight? No rebuttal? I was shocked but maybe she was finally wising up to reality.

Korra strode across the room in three strides, tossing herself onto her bed. She placed her hands behind her bed staring up at the ceiling. "If we're done here, I want to go back to sleep." Bolin stood up and came over to me. Tenzin smiled in triumph at the less-resistant Korra before turning his smile to us. He swung his arm around towards the door, "If you two would like to a place to sleep for the night, there's a room downstairs that you two can stay in. I'll go talk to the guards and let them know they need to be more alert."

We both looked at each other before we bowed with appreciation. "Thanks! That'd be great! I don't think I can sleep in my own bed anymore, I'm so freaked! That creep was just hangin' out in the room while I was passed out!" Bolin slapped his face with both hands, shaking his head rapidly as he spoke; he was always overdramatic. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder, glad that my brother was safe at least for the night. Tenzin glanced back at Korra, "I'm very proud of you. Good night." He stated with a loving glimmer in his eye before leading the way out of the door. We followed Tenzin out of the room; I hesitated in the doorway, glancing back at Korra. Her gaze hadn't left the ceiling. She was nibbling on her lower lip, clearly lost in thought. "Good night, Avatar." I smiled, expecting some kind of response about me not calling her by her name but instead she lifted a lazy hand from behind her head and waved without breaking her gaze from the ceiling. I rolled my eyes, grabbed the door knob. As I began to close the door, I heard a soft sob come from behind me. I almost went back in the room to comfort the crying girl, but instead, I did the "Mako" thing; closing the door, shoving my hands in my pockets, and following a short distance behind my brother to the stairs.

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**Author's Note:** **I hope this was up to your expectations. If not, let me know and if you enjoyed it let me know as well! It took forever to write and I'm exhausted from it. I've been piecing this together every night this week after work and college classes so please read and review and to those of you that added this to your alerts or favorites, thank you! (: I hope you're enjoying the story so far! It picks up big time in the next chapter so stick around!**

**Have a great night everyone.**

**-InconsciousSin.**


	3. Chapter 3: Stolen Spark

**Author's Note:**** The part from episode four is in here, but I didn't want to copy it word for word from the episode. I will admit the first part is, and it goes along the same lines as in the episode because I like what he said and how he said it… I thought it was creepy so I didn't stray far from the episodes version of his speech, but I did attempt to switch it up a bit… It was Sin-ified, if you will.;) This is mostly **_**my **_**version of episode four. The next chapter is finished so if you review I'll upload it immediately! (:**

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Chapter 3:

_Stolen Spark_

Korra's POV:

"Good night, Avatar." Mako stated at the door. I didn't look over at him, but I'm assuming he was expecting me to reply because he continued standing there, staring at me. Instead, I lifted my hand lazily above my head and waved. From the corner of my eye, I watched him close the door before rolling over to face the wall. It all hit me at once: Amon, Mako, everyone's utter lack of trust in me, it was all becoming so overwhelming. I couldn't hold them back anymore. Tears streamed down my cheeks and a soft sob left my lips. I rolled over once more, burying my face in my pillow. That's when I heard the door click; it only just closed. Was he still standing there? Had he heard me crying like a baby? Heat burned my cheeks as embarrassment joined the rest of my swirling emotions. I fought against the tears aching to continue pouring out, repressing everything I was feeling inside before finally falling asleep.

Sweat. So much sweat. And, is that blood? My head begins to spin; so much blood. Ruby puddles in every direction; they never end. I lift my hand in front of my face. My vision is blurry but I can make out the crimson dripping off my fingertips and splashing into the gallons of blood growing around my knees. Where was it coming from? I wasn't in pain. My vision begins to return to me. I hear a faint scream that sounds oddly familiar, before I heard a yell causing my heart to drop. "Mako?" I begin crawling, wading through the thick liquid in the direction of the scream. Suddenly, the blood seems to grow deeper and I have to swim. It feels like a pool of gelatin and I could barely move. "Mako!" I scream.

A body lies limp only a few inches in front of me. It was face down. It felt like an eternity before I reached the body. Hesitantly, I rolled it over, wiping away the blood from its face to make out an identity. The color left my face. His once bright, dancing eyes were wide open with pure terror; his cheerful smile was replaced by a frozen frown and the color was completely drained from his features. It was Bolin and he was dead. This was his blood. Before a scream could muster from my lips I was sinking. I couldn't pull myself back to the surface. I was drowning in the blood of one of my favorite friends; one of my only friends. I heard Mako scream again but I didn't know where it was coming from. He was now shouting something to me that I couldn't make out over the sound of a loud, beating heart. My arms raced against the dragging current but I continued sinking faster and faster.

Right when I thought I was going to die, the blood evaporated and I was sitting in a rickety wooden chair. I looked in every direction and saw nothing but white. The crimson tears that once stained my clothes had vanished and I was now wearing a stainless white dress. My shoes were gone and my hands were strapped down to the back of the chair. I became terrified. I yanked on my arms, trying to break my restraints when that muffled laughter filled my ears. My body went rigid with fear as Amon in that white mask began walking towards me. He reeked of death even though his onyx clothes were clean. Once the initial fear lifted, I fought even more furiously to break the restraints to no avail. He began tsking my efforts, now standing right in front of me. I couldn't breathe; the smell of decay was nauseating. His gloved palm reached towards my face at a painfully slow pace and all I could do was watch in terror.

The sound of screaming broke the solid white and the sound barrier. I flew out of the chair and landed on a hard surface. I closed my eyes, too afraid to open them but the screaming wouldn't stop. Why wasn't it going away? Bolin, Mako, why? Why were they screaming? The scream was shrill and petrifying. Someone began shaking me vigorously. I felt heat cover my body. Was I burning? I finally opened my eyes to see Tenzin shaking me. The screaming continued; it was me. I quickly closed my mouth to hush the fear begging to be released from within. I was no longer in my bed. My sheet had somehow trapped me, probably due to my tossing and turning and was now holding me tightly like a prisoner in a cocoon. Tenzin stopped shaking me, and I realized I was drenched in sweat and tears but no blood. He slowly tugged on the sheets to loosen them from my frame. A sigh left my trembling lips before I buried my face in my teacher's stomach, throwing my arms around his waist.

These dreams were haunting. I hadn't even faced Amon yet and he was already killing me. I was beginning to wonder if I could handle facing him after living through such nightmares, but it wasn't really an option. He was attacking my friends and threatening benders everywhere with his stupid beliefs. No one even knew of the war that was raging inside of me. Amon wasn't the only problem I have been dealing with. A flashback of the party popped into my head: Mako waving to me with his arm around some whore. Come to find out, it was not just any whore, it was a rich, beautiful whore. And they came to the party together. The mere thought made me sick to my stomach. How could I compete with that? To him I was just the "Avatar" he had made that perfectly clear last night when he told me good night.

I came back to reality just in time to here Tenzin mutter something. He must have been talking this whole time. I nodded against his stomach, pretending I was paying attention as I usually did, ruffling his robes with my action. I pulled away and wiped my face clean of tears or sweat, whichever it was, before chancing a glance at my teacher. My cheeks began to glow. When I thought I heard Mako yelling, I was right. Standing directly behind Tenzin was Bolin and Mako, both staring down at me in confusion.

I jumped backwards, "Why are you all in here? Again?!" Bolin shrugged with a forced chuckle and of course Mako was too cool to say anything so he continued staring at me. I was sweaty, screaming, and sobbing; great. This day was already starting off great. Tenzin frowned, "I was on my way to wake everyone up for breakfast when we heard you screaming. I didn't know if something had happened, so I asked them to follow me up here." I growled. This was a perfect example of why I hated mornings. Nothing good comes of it. Bolin jumped towards me and I fell backwards, clearly still impaired from the nightmare I had just lived through. "Sorry, Korra! You okay?" I directed my gaze to my trembling palms, shifting my fingers in a desperate attempt to calm them. "I'm fine… It was just a," I forced the lump building in my throat back down, "a bad dream." His child-like grin re-emerged. "Well it's over now. I hope you're ready to do some major training today! Thanks to Mako's new girlfriend, we are still in the tournament! Plus, you have that fight tonight so you gotta be ready for it. Are you ready?" Bolin had way too much enthusiasm and faith in me. He was smiling, punching at the air as he spoke. The word 'girlfriend' made me wince. I didn't even bother answering. I simply pointed angrily to the door as a gesture to get out and they quickly obeyed. I sweat-dropped, just adding to the sweat already drenching me, before deciding I should take a shower. As they were walking out, Tenzin scolded Bolin for mentioning the fight with Amon since last night I agreed to postpone our little meeting until after I learned air bending. Bolin muttered something apologetic to my teacher then I could hear him as he yelled back to me from the hallway, "Alright, just let us know when you're ready to practice!"

After my shower, I skipped breakfast and avoided accidentally running into anyone throughout the temple because ever since our run in with the masked creep, I just haven't wanted to spend time around everyone. They were either expecting something amazing from me or they would pretend nothing was threatening us at all. Or I'd have to listen to someone tell me how I'm basically worthless right now because I couldn't even bend one of the elements. All reactions I hated dealing with, so instead I decided to train by myself to keep my mind busy before tonight. Only hours from now I would be facing Amon. I made my way to where Tenzin and I have been working on my air bending. I couldn't make the card shaped doors move on my own, so I decided to just practice my movements through them while they stood still.

My feet slid into position while I swung my arms around in front of my in a rhythmic pattern. I side stepped between the first two, imagining them moving in my head. It was windy today, so I used the motion of the breeze to direct me. I let out a slow breath while maneuvering between the next set. I was getting better at being light on my feet and concentrating but the bending part still was not coming to me. I took in another slow breath, letting it out as another gust of wind blew past me. I took the chance and circled my body around, squeezing through another set as I opened my eyes.

When my eyes opened, the doors began swinging rapidly around me. I gasped but assumed the wind was moving them. I remained in my stance, opening my legs a little wider as I slide my leg forward, carefully lunging through another set. I spun myself around to face two other sets of swinging doors. They seemed to be moving faster now. I went to pass through, but standing right there in my path was that tall, shadowy figure; his sinister gaze was set on me from behind his mask. My eyes widened as I jumped backwards, running into the door. I didn't stop. I couldn't break away from his gaze. I continued stumbling backwards, each door hitting me in the back. I began backing up faster until I was out of the structure and my butt hit the ground on the other side. I covered my face with my forearm but nothing happened. I peered over my arm to see the silent doors, not evens swaying as the wind continued. Amon was gone. Was he ever even there? I glanced around searching the grounds for any sign of life but saw nothing. I was losing it. "Get it together, Korra." I muttered as I jumped back to my feet. I brushed my thighs off.

Time to work on the bending I actually had. I turned away from the doors with one final glance. Fire balls shot from my fists at the open area. I spun around with a kick, flames shooting from my foot. I loved fire. Whether I was happily sparring with someone or overwhelmingly angry it never let me down; the power never lessened. I practiced my bending for what felt like hours switching from fire to water, then back to fire, then earth and so on. My breathing was haggard and heavy. I wiped my forehead before sitting down.

I was staring off when I heard footsteps approaching. "Hey," Mako flashed me a smile before sitting down beside me. I gave him a forced grin which he clearly saw right through. "I hope you aren't worn out. We still have to train for the tournament." I rolled my eyes. I should have known that was why he was here. My shoulders drooped, "Yeah, next time you see your who-I mean girlfriend let her know I said thanks." My words were clearly insincere and unappreciative. I felt bad for being such a baby, but part of me didn't care. I hated her. I couldn't even remember her name. As if reading my mind he replied, "Asami. She's not my girlfriend." I couldn't hide the smile that forced its way onto my lips at this statement. "We just went out to dinner and then we went to the party together and… I guess it's really not your business anyway." Smile faded. I was done listening to this so I stood up and stretched my arms above my head. "Where's Bolin? Let's get this over with."

He chuckled as he jumped to his feet. He pointed over the hill where Bolin was sprinting towards us. "I'm ready!" He shouted with a wave. Bolin reached us and we immediately began circling each other. My glare was directed at Mako, Bolin's was as well. Mako looked from his brother to me with a grin, "Two on one? Seems fair." His hands began to glow with fire. Bolin stomped on the ground, lifting a slab of pact earth, throwing it in the direction of his older brother. Mako dodged it, throwing a fire ball at Bolin. I watched as they sparred back and forth for a while as I thought to myself. I couldn't get my mind off Mako's new _friend._ I knew I had bigger things to worry about, but I couldn't get her out of my head. She was so pretty and tall and rich. She would be the obvious choice.

I sighed before hearing someone shout out to me, "Heads up, Korra!" Bolin called me back to reality. I looked up to see a ball of fire hurling towards me. I took a quick step backwards towards the shore line. I spun around in a circle, forcing the water out from the fountain nearby before shooting it at the flames, putting them out just in time. "Stay focused." Mako and his 'helpful' advice; I tightened my fists. I lifted my arms once more, shooting another whip of water right at the pro firebender. It hit his arm, but just barely. I jumped up, spinning in the air; I came down with force as my foot hit the grass, causing the earth in front of Mako to shoot out at him at a diagonal and throwing him a few feet away with obvious force. He gripped his stomach where the slab had nailed him. "Stay focused," I muttered in the best mocking tone I could muster. He was obviously furious. He jumped up and began rushing at me with his hands glowing.

Bolin was now the awkward one, standing to the side with confusion. I followed his lead, rushing at Mako with my own hands full of fire. If he wanted to fight, why not fight fire with fire? A cocky grin touched my lips. I threw my hand up, forcing it forward to strike just as Mako was inches from me. In one instant, he ducked avoiding my attack. It happened so fast; one minute Mako was in my line of fire, the next he was wrapping his arms around my legs, then he was tossing me over his shoulder until my back hit the grass—hard. I let out a groan. Before I could get back on my feet, Mako was climbing on top of me with his hand in front of my face. "What are you doing? You're the Avatar and yet did you see how easily I took you down?" My teeth were grinding together. "Enough!" I shouted. My hand began to move rhythmically causing the water to rise from the ocean and journey towards us. Before it had the chance to reach us, however, Mako grabbed my wrist and the water fell immediately. "What is you're deal? You need to concentrate. Maybe that's why you can't airbend." I fought against him, he had a point, but I refused to care. "At least I can bend at all! You chose the girl that can't do anything but pull a wallet out of her purse and pay the tab!" I knew my words had hit a sore spot because he quickly let me go, standing up beside his brother. "Practice is over today. It's getting dark and besides," Mako turned to smile at me, "I have a date later." The initial look on my face seemed to satisfy him because he turned away, ran his hand through his hair, and then patted his brother on the chest before walking away.

I sat up and pulled my legs to my chest with a sigh. Bolin sat beside me. "So," He rocked back and forth in discomfort, "You two, uh, um… tension?" He gave me a sweet smile but I couldn't muster one up. Mako was right, it was already getting dark. We had been at this all day. "So what are you going to be doing tonight? Wanna hang out?" He rubbed the back of his head. He was obviously nervous to hear my response. "I'm busy." Bolin frowned, "Doing what?" I gave him my best over confident grin. "I challenged Amon to a little one-on-one, remember? I can't just back down, I'll look weak!" He looked away, clearly trying to figure out his words before he spoke again. "I just thought, you know, Tenzin said you couldn't and you said 'fine' so I was assuming you were free…"

Silence haunted the air between Bolin and me before he admitted his fears for that night. "Korra, I just don't want you to get hurt. Amon? Now that's one creepy dude. So creepy in fact, that if you were too chicken to fight him, no one would blame you! He's weird! And I think it's cheating that he gets to run around in a mask with his crazy… hand trick." He waved his arms wildly in front of his face in an attempt to imitate Amon. I chuckled dryly. His humorless grin was to comfort me I think, but it didn't. I pulled my legs closer to me. "I have to do this." My gaze became icy as I glared at Bolin. "Don't say a word to Tenzin, I mean it." He held up his hands in surrender, "Sure, sure." I smiled, scooting closer to my friend.

That's what I needed right now; a friend. Someone that actually believed in my abilities and told me they knew I could do this instead of trying to talk me out of the inevitable. We sighed in unison as my head rested against his shoulder. The sun was sinking behind the towering buildings; its radiance glistening against windows and the surface of the water. My confidence seemed to be building the farther the sun began to sink. I could do this. Amon had nothing, as long as he couldn't touch me. And if he showed up alone as I requested, it should be a piece of cake. That cocky smile expanded across my cheeks.

Since I had requested for Amon to meet me at the island alone, Tenzin and the others were going to stay in the city that night in case he actually showed up while everyone was asleep. I told Tenzin that I would be with Bolin all night. Bolin, surprisingly, sold the lie by adding that he was going to show me the city since I have yet to really get out and explore and he then added the obvious that my only true threat would be on the island, meaning I would be safe to roam around. Tenzin hesitantly agreed, but I thanked Bolin for ten minutes straight before heading to the shore. It was dark now; and with no life at the island, it looked uninviting. I found the docks and hopped in a little wooden boat that was lazily tied to a wooden rod next to the shore. I untied the rope, and then began forcing the water back towards the shore, propelling the boat forward towards the battle grounds.

Within a minute, I was on the other side with the boat tied up. I sauntered across the courtyard, glancing around for any sign of my enemy. Nothing. He wasn't here? My hands clasped behind my head as I strode along. The clock struck midnight with a loud, echoing 'dong' which caused me to let out a scream. I laughed realizing where the sound was coming from, "Well, he's not here." I stated aloud. Relief washed over me. The memory of my words replayed in my head, _"Amon I challenge you. Tomorrow night at midnight, _if_ you're man enough to face me." _I had known I was terrified but I had no idea to what extent until now that I was safe for the night and I could feel my muscles being liberated from the tension they had been burdened with since I suggested this little meeting yesterday. I was finishing my walk about the island when something shot out from the darkness and wrapped around my legs. Balance was a lost ability. I immediately fell face-first onto the concrete path. Before I could even comprehend what was happening, I felt a yank from the cord around my legs, pulling me into the darkness. Air rushed from my lungs as I yelled. My actions were robotic. I saw the alien-like attire worn by Amon's chi-blockers and the flames instantly shot from my palms and my feet. I don't know how it happened, but the wire must have been broken due to my flames, freeing me and I was back on my feet.

Every direction stood groups of the chi-blockers. Terror rose within me, but I fought it away. Two on my right jumped at me; I threw my leg down forcing the earth to block them. There were three rushing at my right; I spun in a circle with a fire whip growing larger as I spun before launching it at all three of them and knocking them backwards. I heard footsteps rushing up behind me but when I spun to attack, someone from behind me lashed out, kicked me in the side, knocking me into the wall. Before I had time to recompose myself, another chi-blocker grabbed one of my arms. I went to attack with my free arm before it was in the possession of another chi-blocker. I fought against them with all my strength; I threw my leg down on the ground but nothing happened. They were blocking my bending. I yanked at my arms, "This was supposed to be a fair fight." I mumbled to the people in the strange suits. This was really turning out to be a bad day. I blamed the morning; it woke me up early and started my entire day on a downward spiral.

The sound of footsteps approaching filled my ears. My heart began to pound so fast I'm surprised it didn't echo against the walls for all to hear. The darkness seemed to open up, allowing the tall masked man to pass through. I felt my stomach twist in terror. Fear was evident in my eyes. His voice sent a shiver down my spine, "I received your invitation, young Avatar." My body went limp. No matter how much I wanted to break free, to run far away and give the title of the 'Avatar' to someone—anyone else, I couldn't. I was trapped. My body wasn't obeying me. I was trembling, my eyes not leaving Amon's masked face.

A flashback to that terrible nightmare; no wait, this was real. This wasn't a dream. I wasn't going to wake up to find Tenzin shaking me out of my unconscious state while my sheets were holding me hostage. No, this was what my subconscious has been trying to prepare me for through all of those terrifying dreams. His cold eyes glared down at me. His gloved palm reached towards my face at a painfully slow pace and all I could do was watch in terror. I finally broke his gaze, turning my face away from his hand and closing my eyes in defeat. My shoulder sagged as I silently gave in. This was the part where I would wake up but unfortunately, that wouldn't be the outcome this time. Instead of touching my forehead as I was anticipating, his hand grabbed my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze once more. I will admit, when I looked back into those emotionless eyes for the second time, I felt completely helpless and weak. The two things everyone has been hinting at me for the past few days. All evidence of my confidence had drained from my body with that second glance into his sinister eyes.

He knelt down to meet my eye level. "Our fight, however inevitable, is premature. Although it would be the simplest thing for me to take your bending away right now. It would only cause nations to rally behind the loss of what some believe your title represents. I assure you, I do have a plan. You are a part of it, but I'm saving you until last. Killing you now would be a very big setback. No, after every bender has fallen and my plan is in motion, you will meet your demise. And I will destroy you."

His words resonated with me even after he was finished speaking. I had nothing to say. His gaze was enough to silence me. He measured my reaction and I could tell he was grinning behind that mask. Amon stood up, staring down at me like a worthless waste of time, before striking out at my neck. My head began to spin, the faces all melted together. I felt the chi-blockers release my arms; I fell on my side and stole one last glance at the shadowy figure as he was walking away before consciousness failed me and my eye lids fell heavily over my eyes.

Flashes of the previous Avatars rushed through my head. They were all glowing in a soft blue light before they began to recede into each other leaving only Aang. He held out his hand to me. My eyes opened to the sound of footsteps, their vision still hazy. I saw the airbender's robes and his bald head, "Aang?" My voice was raspy. Tenzin grabbed me, holding me in his arms like an injured daughter. "Korra? Korra, are you alright? What happened?" He held me closer in a desperate attempt to comfort my limp frame. Tenzin began to gently rock back and forth, as if his love would bring the life back into me.

My vision returned along with the remaining trembles left behind from the terror Amon had instilled in me. "Was Amon here?" His name made me wince which seemed to be enough of an answer for my teacher. Tenzin gasped, "Did he… Did he take your bending?" I held up a hand, allowing a small flame to combust in my palm before instantly evaporating. "No," I muttered. The fear began to engulf me. Why was I so scared? What was it about that man that terrified me so much? I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. They began to flow down my cheeks as a soft sob left my lips. I threw my arms around Tenzin's waist, crying into his stomach. Between tears, I told him the depth of my fears and I just prayed he would understand. As I had hoped, he stroked my hair until the tears finally subsided.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks, leaning back to meet Tenzin's gaze, "How'd you even know I was here?" He rubbed the back of his head, hesitating, before reply, "Mako told me." I clenched my fists. Bolin didn't tell Tenzin so he hadn't broken his promise. My heart hurt, "If Mako knew, why didn't he come then." I murmured more to myself than to receive a response. Tenzin frowned as if he understood why I was asking, even though I didn't understand why I was asking. Mako had a girlfriend now and he had a busy night with said girlfriend. The world 'girlfriend' was really starting to piss me off. It still hurt that my so called friend heard I was going to go up against such a dangerous man alone and instead of coming to check on me, he tattles then sends someone else. I sighed. This was a crush; nothing more but a hopeless crush. He wasn't even a friend apparently. After a long silence, Tenzin finally thought up a response. "Maybe he knew you'd be upset if he came?" I wanted to force a smile to make Tenzin feel better but I couldn't muster one up. This was a terrible day and an even worse night. Even after everything that had happened all I wanted to do was lie in my bed, curl up in a ball, and disappear. Tenzin stood up, holding out his hand to help me up. I hastily took it, ready to get away from the memory from the night. He stared at me with worry, "Today wasn't completely terrible. Amon lost, Korra. You're alive and you're still a bender." I shrugged, finally able to force a weak smile. "At least tomorrow can't be much worse." I didn't know how wrong I was.

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**Author's Note: ****The next chapter is already finished, so just review and I'll post it.**

**-InconsciousSin.**


	4. Chapter 4: New Order

**Author's Note****: Thank you all so much for the reviews! I was smiling the whole time I was reading them. I'm really glad you guys are enjoying it! I'll keep updating as fast as I can; like I said I try to update at least once a week for at least one of my stories… Lately it's only been this one because the ideas keep flying at me.**

**By the way, I'm half asleep, literally so please understand when you read this. I really wanted to update quickly so here it is. It's been basically composed, but I've been editing (attempting, I'm really tired) and rewording, and rewriting sections and then I don't like posting a chapter without the next chapter at least being started. So I've been doing that as well. Here you go, though so please enjoy.(:**

**Also, I used a few Hitler quotes in Amon's speech. Just throwing that out there before someone tries to sue me. I'll put an (H) after each. I also don't own Legend of Korra; haven't said that yet, but there it is.**

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Chapter 4:

_New Order_

A deep, strong voice rang out. It carried far despite the mask that was muffling his voice. The voice held obvious confidence that bounced off the towering buildings surrounding him. "Last night at midnight, the Avatar wanted to 'end' our movement. However, she is a coward and was easily defeated." Those that were wandering the streets seemed drawn to the man as they ventured to where he stood atop the steps leading to the Satomobile's main building. People in the audience gasped and whispered amongst themselves at the man's words, apparently concerned for the young girl's life or just gossiping about how her demise was met. "Don't worry, I did not take her bending, nor did I harm her. But this is why I stand before you today; with a new order. As Equalists we have a new mission. Imagine it, a world where we must no longer cower to the elements." His voice was booming and powerful. "Benders without their bending seems like a pleasant idea, however, what will become of us if they decide to strike back? What happens if they decide to rise up and attempt to destroy those that have never possessed the power of bending? We will be at their mercy. Instead," Amon held up his arms towards the crowd.

His army of chi-blockers began marching up, stopping only a foot behind him. There were at least twenty men all dressed in a foreign attire with strange masks standing behind Amon. "They all must perish in order for this world to finally be at peace." The crowd was growing in front of the steps. People that were simply passing by stopped and listened attentively. "We cannot wait around for them to kill us! We must act now. Strength lies not in defense but in attack (H). A unit must be equal with no weakness. Every one of us have to fight together in order to bring peace to our world; remember, those that don't agree are siding with the benders. Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live (H)."

Many of the people were cheering and shouting in agreement while some in the back just ignored him and walked away with disgust tainting their faces; clearly benders. Two benders still stood lost in the crowd. Their eyes were watching the masked man excite the crowd that they were pretending to be a part of. The crowd began moving forward towards the army with cheers. In the far back of the group was Mako and Bolin. They were walking through the city, picking up something to eat for lunch, when they heard the commotion. Bolin had his shirt pulled over his head to hide his identity while Mako wrapped his scarf around his head like a hat. Amon made eye contact with the brothers in the back of the crowd as he spoke his final sentence, "_Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination. This is the war of the future (H)."_ His voice sounded amused. The brothers stared back at him before the people in front of Amon began getting louder. The whole city was trying to take this man down and yet not a single authority figure was in sight. Of course, with as many riled up people supporting him and an army of over twenty chi-blockers it seemed logical any form of authority would rather walk away from the situation than try to break up the riot.

The brothers silently slipped away, rushing down the street as quickly as they could. "That crowd is insane! Now they want to _kill _us? Why kill us?" Bolin turned to his older brother for answers. Mako ran his hand through his hair, "He knows benders aren't going to willingly give up their bending. Not to mention there are way too many of us for him to have to personally come in contact with in order to take their bending. Killing is a job anyone can be assigned to do. It's more efficient and less time consuming for Amon giving him more time to focus on the Avatar and controlling the city or whatever he's trying to control." Bolin stared at his brother in awe. Mako shrugged, "I'm just guessing, could be wrong." Bolin stared at Mako for a long moment before Mako grew annoyed with the burning gaze.

"Let's go see Korra. She might want to know about this." Bolin gasped. It had just hit him that Amon mentioned 'defeating' Korra. "She probably won't be in a good mood. Or worse, what if she's really hurt?" A smile touched Mako's lips as they neared the shore. The commotion behind them was only a murmur as they distanced themselves from Amon's followers. "Nah, I'm sure she's fine. She probably won't be in a good mood, but I doubt she's hurt."

Mako's POV:

"Thanks for the help last night, _friend." _Korra's voice was thick with sarcasm. I stared at her in shock. This was already starting? We had just reached the spot in the grass that she was sitting before she made the snide remark. "You do remember, _bud_, that you told us you weren't going to fight Amon." I crossed my arms. We still hadn't eaten lunch so I was irritable enough to egg her on. She shot up from her chair, "Yeah! But honestly, who believed that crap?" She pointed an accusatory finger at Bolin, "And _he _knew. And I know that he told you!" My brows furrowed, "I'm assuming it didn't go so well?" I tried to hide the laughter in my monotonous voice. Korra must have sensed this because she became furious. "I guess you would've known if you were there."

I don't know why she expected me to feel bad. I was busy, and I wasn't even the person she initially told. "Why are you only mad at me? You _told _Bolin. Out of everyone, shouldn't he be the one you're upset with?" I jabbed a thumb in the direction of my brother. He gasped, shaking his hands in front of him. "No! Korra, you told me not to so I didn't go! I'm sorry, I have faith in you. I figured you could handle it on your own!" Korra smiled at him. "I know, Bolin." He sighed in relief. Of course, her anger was never taken out on my innocent brother.

Her smile faded as she turned her icy gaze to me. Why am I always the only one to face her irrational wrath? Sometimes I wondered if she really did hate me. The girl turned her back to us with her arms crossed. She was mumbling in a soft voice but her words hit me harder than any of her shouts, "You were too busy with your date to care about anything else." I couldn't believe she was acting like this. I rolled my eyes, turning my back to the irrational girl in response. "Jealousy is an ugly face on you." My words must have struck a chord; I seemed to have that affect over the girl and I wouldn't care to admit it, but I loved getting a rise out of her. It was entertaining at the least. Her cheeks glowed red, "What? Uh-um, jealous? Of what? I'm not even close to jealous! What would I have to be jealous of?" A crooked smile touched my lips as she rambled. "Asami, I'm assuming."

Bolin rocked from his toes to his heels uncomfortably. Korra leaned over towards me, her arms flailing as her words rushed from her lips "No way! Why would I be jealous of _her?_ Because she's rich? Or maybe you think I think she's prettier than me? Either way, I am not jealous. In fact, I think she's hiding something." The girl calmed down once she hit her final sentence, clearly lost in thought at the idea that my 'girlfriend' could really be sinister. I couldn't help myself from laughing. "You're so overdramatic." Her hands fell to her hips, "You hardly know her. Maybe she's trying to get close to you to get close to me! I am the Avatar after all. And you are with me every day." I rolled my eyes; she always took these things too far, to the point of becoming annoying. "Not everything is about you. Have you ever thought maybe she, I don't know… Likes me?" I waited for a response but realizing I wasn't going to get a logical one I turned to face my brother.

"We're here because while we were in town this afternoon, we came across a rally… Amon is building up followers. He's claiming he defeated you last night." I didn't know why, but my stomach did a nauseating flip at the idea of Amon _defeating _Korra. Only a few minutes beforehand the thought didn't have any effect on me. But now that she was standing in front of me, it upset me to think about. I shoved my hands in my pockets and forced any sign of my discomfort away. She was the Avatar, why was I so worried some _nobody_ in a mask would be able to beat her? "And instead of just taking away everyone's bending he says we should all be killed instead." Bolin finished my sentence, clearly still hung up on the idea of the masked menace in our room two nights ago. That thought disturbed me as well. If Amon came up with the idea of killing all benders only two days before now, my brother might be dead, and so would I. Korra stared off.

I didn't know what part of this news was upsetting her but I assumed it was because Amon was claiming he beat her; which I was positive had to be the problem due to her over confident demeanor. However, then I remembered we didn't actually know what happened last night. He may have won; he admitted he didn't hurt her or take away her bending. Then what was the point of their fight? I realized I was staring at her and quickly broke my gaze, looking down at the ground uncomfortably. "Why are you telling me?" Her voice was cold. The depth of her voice shocked me. I turned my attention back to her, sizing her expression. It was unreadable.

"Because you're the Avatar." Bolin stated as if it were the silliest question ever. He was smiling, but Korra did not match his expression. In fact, she was avoiding meeting our eyes. "I'll let Tenzin know and see what he thinks I should do." I raised my eyebrow. I slowly glanced at Bolin who was staring at me with the same puzzled expression; both of us were clearly confused. She was going to listen to Tenzin? She was going to obey something someone actually told her to do? She forced the fakest smile I had ever seen to stop us from questioning her. "Let's meet up later to practice for pro bending. We haven't practiced much lately so we probably need it. I'll go talk to Tenzin right now, so you guys don't have to be worrying all day."

Bolin nodded, punching the air with his fist. "Yeah! Sounds good to me! We need to get to work. The Sato's were nice enough to sponsor us, we can't embarrass ourselves now!" He laughed and Korra cringed. "Y-yeah. I'll meet up with you in an hour or so." She stretched her arms above her heads. I hadn't paid attention until just now; her hair was askew, her lower eyelids were dark from lack of sleep and she kept rubbing at the unusual bruise on the side of her neck. I stole a glance at my younger brother and noted that his eyes were flooding with worry; he had noticed these things long before I did apparently. I don't think he spotted the bruise because she kept nonchalantly placing her hand over it in an attempt to conceal it, but he clearly noticed the change in our friend. Bolin hesitated to leave, but eventually pulled his gaze away and began to trudge back to the shoreline. "I won't be able to make it." Bolin stopped and stared at me. It wasn't typical for me to back out of practice so I was expecting this reaction. "I have plans." Korra gave me that glare and Bolin just shrugged. "Oh well, fine with me. I'm starving! Let's get some lunch." My stomach growled right on cue. I slowly began to follow Bolin. I stopped once my back was turned to Korra. My eyes stared at the blades of grass beneath my feet as they danced in the wind. "Mako? Something wrong?" She was staring at my back with confusion.

Something wasn't right. "Are you alright?" I could tell she wasn't expecting this question of concern because she took a step backwards before she spoke. "Yeah, I'm great." The way she spoke was forced. I think this is why I have always avoided situations like this; it's awkward and girls always had to make things hard by pretending nothing was wrong but they also make it completely obvious that they are lying. I still didn't turn around. I sighed, "Well I tried." I muttered before beginning my slow pursuit after Bolin. "Wait!" Korra yelled. I turned around and stared at her. She fumbled her fingers nervously and I was about to just walk away again.

"I'm sorry about being so rude earlier." I wanted to laugh but I remained somber to humor her. She was actually apologizing; Amon must have bumped her in the head a few times last night. "I mean it was my fault for even thinking I could face—him." Her hand began rubbing her upper arm vigorously. Something must have happened inside of her; this was definitely not the same Korra. She couldn't even speak Amon's name when only yesterday afternoon she was bragging about how she was going to beat him.

"…And it wasn't nice of me. She's clearly important to you and I guess I can play nice." I didn't realize she had been speaking this whole time. I looked up to meet her gaze; she was gritting her teeth at the_ 'play nice' _part. I could no longer contain it, the laughter left my lips. Why did she keep bringing up Asami? I laughed harder. She stared at me, "What's so funny?" Her hands fell to her hips. I recomposed myself, "You." Korra instantly began blushing.

My gaze went from the ruby of her cheeks to the purplish misshapen blemish on the side of her neck. I hadn't realized I was walking towards her until I couldn't take another step. I was standing right in front of her; so close I could hear her breathing. She was tense while my fingers brushed along the outline of the mysterious mark. "What happened?" She ignored my eyes. That blush was so dark it looked like it was burning her. Korra shrugged my hand away and stepped back. "How was your date?" I stared at her for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle. She was ridiculous. "It went well, I suppose." She glared at me. "What? Were you expecting details?" I gave her a crooked grin. Her lower lip poked out. "I'll see you when you're ready to practice." Korra mumbled the words under her breath; her final comment made my grin widen knowing I had gotten to her twice so far today.

I pointed to her neck, "You better hide that bruise. I don't think Bolin noticed it, but when he does you will never hear the end of it." She ignored me. I turned away from her and began to walk away. She was silent for a moment before adding, "Tell Bolin I want that tour of the city after I talk to Tenzin if he's still interested." A spark of something nailed me from within. Jealousy? The thought made me want to laugh. I was technically dating Asami Sato; she's beautiful, smart, rich, and great company. And yet, my heart pounded angrily against my chest, my shoulders tensed and my fists were clenched. I kept walking as I spoke. "Yeah, I'll let him know." My feet stopped so I could glance back over my shoulder. "By the way, I figured you'd like to know," I hesitated. She stared at me and I stared right back. Her eyes held a strange lack of emotion. "Contrary to popular belief, I wasn't on a date with Asami last night." I flashed the blushing girl a crooked grin before turning away and following after Bolin. I was chuckling softly to myself as I walked. My heart was still pounding rapidly for some reason. As soon as the words left my lips a small glow seemed to erupt in those blue eyes of hers.

I wished I would have stuck around to hear her banter and assumptions about who I was out with but I knew she would never get it right so instead I caught up to Bolin and started a conversation about which teams we thought would make it to the final competitions in the tournament. I really didn't want to tell Bolin about Korra's 'tour' but I did anyway. The bright, toothy grin my brother flashed me made me feel guilty for some odd reason. Then, he began talking about where he should take her and what he should show her since she hadn't seen anything and the city was huge. I kept zoning in and out on our conversation. I couldn't get my mind off that mark on the side of Korra's neck. "…_I did not take her bending, nor did I harm her..." _I clenched my fists. Amon's 'new order' was a joke. There was a large rebel force that had attacked a number of the chi-blockers when Amon was away to meet up with Korra. I'm going to assume that's where he got this new idea that benders would turn on everyone else if left to live. His plan had its flaws but it had a possibility of succeeding. After witnessing his Revelation and then his speech today, he had enough followers to begin some kind of revolution but I just hope the people of Republic City will realize how demonic the man they are idolizing truly is before it's too late.

Korra's POV:

I stared after him. He was lying, he had to be. His date was with Asami. Who else could it be with? I never even heard him mention anyone else's name. I tried to think about something else but watching him leave was making it hard not to imagine him with some girl. My hand flew to the bruise on my neck and I immediately blushed, remembering his gentle touch. He actually seemed to care that I was hurt. I smiled as I rested my chin in the palm of my hand. Once Mako and Bolin were out of sight, I headed back to the spot where Tenzin was meditating with his children and silently sat down. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. Clear your mind, steady breathing, and relax; why was it so hard for me?

My eyes opened and my breathing returned to normal. I slouched as my eyes scanned everyone before my eyes hit Tenzin and he was staring at me. I quickly recomposed myself and took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly to pretend I was cooperating. I was still staring at my teacher. It took me a second to recognize the look in his eyes but when I did, it kind of irritated me. It was that same look Bolin had in his eyes earlier and the same look Mako had when he was touching the bruise on my neck. I blushed at the memory but the irritation quickly took back control. "What?" I mumbled. "Why does everyone keep looking at me like that?" His head tilted to the side in confusion. "You haven't talked about last night since, well, last night. Maybe you should." My gaze quickly shot to my lap where my fingers fumbled against one another for a moment. I looked back at him again. "I'm fine. I just need to start focusing on my air bending for now." He gave me a comforting smile.

I began thinking about the news Mako and Bolin had told me and decided to relay the message. I looked down at the children and giggled to myself; they were all sleeping. Meelo was snoring, drool dripping from the side of his mouth. He was lying down; fast asleep as he usually did when it was time for meditation. Ikki was asleep sitting up and so was her older sister, Jinora; both of their heads were drooping. Once I made sure the kids couldn't hear me, I informed Tenzin of the building of Amon's forces. He seemed worried but when he spoke, his voice showed no sign of any emotion fluctuation. "I see. We must accelerate your training then." His eyes narrowed at me, "Korra, please listen to me. You are not to seek Amon out. You are not to confront him. You are not to fight him. Agreed?" I was staring off. He didn't know this, but those things were far from what I wanted right now. I was still shaken from last night. I nodded. "Agreed." He leaned closer, "Agree?" He repeated in a more serious tone. I smiled at him, "I promise, Tenzin. I'll be busy with you guys trying to get the hang of this air bending thing and I also have to practice for pro bending. Amon can wait." I gave him a wide grin and he returned it. I stood up, "Speaking of practice, Mako cancelled today, so I'm going to hang out with Bolin. See ya!" I waved over my shoulder as I bounded away. I missed when things were simple and pro bending was my biggest concern. Today, I was going to see if Bolin still wanted to give me that tour. I smiled, feeling a small sense of relief by allowing myself to forget the world and its overwhelming problems for a while. Even Mako and Asami would be far from my mind, I would make sure of it.

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**Author's Note****: sorry for any grammatical errors or spelling errors. It's late and I'm exhausted! But here it is. I need to write some shorter chapters… You agree? Criticism is welcome but so are nice comments.(: Thanks for reading!**

**-InconsciousSin.**

**Poll:**

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	5. Chapter 5: It's Not a Date

**Author's Note****: Fun chapter, hopefully. (: Enjoy! I updated fast because you're reviews made me happy and eager to write more for you! lol Thanks to everyone that leaves their feedback. It really helps encourage me to stay up late even after a full day of work or classes to write. So again, thank you so so much you guys. Keep it up and I'll try to continue updating as quickly as I can type!**

**Again, sorry for any grammatical or spelling problems... It's late and I can barely see straight.**

***Revised, added more details and fixed some of my grammar/spelling.**

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Chapter 5:

_It's Not a Date_

Bolin's POV:

"I still don't see why you're going." My brother's voice sounded irritated. I just smiled. I was used to Mako's pessimistic attitude so it was easy to shrug off. "Because she asked me to! She's amazing and she wants me to show her around. And let me tell ya, I'm going to show her the time of her life!" The grin on my face felt like it would never fade ever since Mako informed me that Korra asked to hang out with me tonight. I couldn't help but convince myself it was a date. Mako scoffed. His shoulders were tense and his footsteps were harsh as we walked back through the city to the apartment. He insisted that he had to wear something nicer than his typical attire on his dinner date tonight with Asami, and it kind of made me wonder if I should change too. I was willing to do anything to impress Korra. I still couldn't believe she wanted to spend time with me, alone, and not to practice bending. I was squealing with excitement on the inside.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." Was his response. I laughed light-heartedly, "What makes you think I'll get hurt?" He didn't respond. "Should I ask her out? I mean, she's clearly interested. I think we would make a great couple!" Mako's eyes narrowed at the road ahead. I didn't know what his problem was. Was he the only one allowed to be happy? Was it not okay for me to have a girlfriend too? "It's not smart to date a teammate, Bolin." I smiled once again. "She's more than just a teammate." My response was short but Mako didn't say anything back. The rest of our walk was silent but that was fine with me. I couldn't stop thinking about all the things Korra and I could do. I had to make tonight amazing for her.

Mako changed his clothes without a word. I sat on my bed, chin in my palm, watching him sulk around the apartment as he threw together the nicest clothes he had and of course his scarf. "Do you think I should wear something like that?" I asked pointing a finger at the suit Asami had bought for Mako. He let out a single chuckle, "It's Korra. I wouldn't try so hard if I were you." He acted as if Asami were a princess and Korra were a peasant. I thought about it though, and agreed silently. If I tried too hard, she might freak out.

Mako was about to leave when a knock came at the door. My brother's solemn face instantly came to life and a smile traced his lips. He went to the door and opened it. That spark immediately vanished. I didn't realize why until I heard that familiar, angelic voice. "Um, is Bolin still here?" Mako turned away from Korra and walked over to his bed. He was pretending to fumble with his shoe strings, but I had just watched him tie them before he answered the door. "Hey Korra!" I waved. She took a step inside and smiled, "Hey, you ready to go?" She pointed a thumb back towards the door. I noticed her eyes glance at my brother before turning her gaze back to me. "Yep! I have a few ideas of what we can do tonight! You're going to have a blast, I promise." She was still smiling at me but I heard the bed creak as Mako stood up. Korra gave him an uncomfortable smile, "Hi, Mako. Have fun tonight." Her voice sounded sincere but my brother's didn't as he wished her the same. I didn't get why he was acting so strangely, but at the moment I didn't care to worry over it. I wrapped my arm around Korra's shoulders and led her out the door, "Are you hungry? I'm starving! There's this really good place I want you to try."

Korra's POV:

I wished I felt the same way Bolin felt for me. It made me feel so guilty that I didn't. He was sweet, caring, and truly believed I was this amazing person. I loved him, but it was a friendly love. Hopefully he didn't think me asking him to spend time with me tonight was some kind of date. I was having fun already though and we had just made it to the restaurant. I didn't catch the name of the place but they served delicious water-tribe food. We both ordered the noodles; something I missed dearly since I came to Republic City.

Across the table, Bolin was already scarfing his noodles down before I took my first bite. "How does it taste?" He asked with a genuine smile. I swallowed and couldn't help but lick my lips. "It's so authentic. I haven't eaten anything like this since I was at home." He took another huge bite, "Yeah this is my favorite place to eat. See? I love water-tribe food. You love water-tribe food. We have a lot in common!" I giggled. He always made me laugh. "Yes, I guess we do." I replied, holding up another large string of noodles. I took another bite before realizing he was staring at me, smiling. "You really are amazing." I couldn't help but blush. I slurped up the noodles already shoved in my mouth and munched as I tilted my head, "You think so, huh?" I watched him nod.

Why did he have to be so nice to me? Guilt pelted my stomach as my inner-Korra began speaking in my head, 'Hey, sorry Bolin, but I don't really like you like that. I just asked you out tonight because I was sick of meditating for hours every night with Tenzin and the airbabies because I have no life. I actually have a huge crush on your older brother but he already had plans tonight!' I frowned. I wish it wasn't true. "You're beautiful, smart, an amazing bender, and the Avatar!" He shouted the last part and I scooted down a little in my chair as people stared over. "You're fun, and funny, and just really cool." His words made me smile. "Well, thanks Bolin. You are too." I meant that. He was fun and hilarious. He was a talented bender and extremely cool. Why couldn't I have a mega crush on the sweet brother instead of the jerk brother that already has a girlfriend? "This is going to be the best date ever." I frowned. "It's not a date." I was worried his feelings were going to be hurt, but his smile didn't even falter. He wafted his hand at the air. "Um, yeah, of course. Still, you're going to have a blast. I've got a few things in mind." I grinned. "Good, I need some fun."

We laughed for what felt like hours at random things. We had a burping contest, which I won of course, and he surprisingly didn't find it disgusting. In fact, it seemed to make his smile even bigger; if that was possible. After we left the restaurant, we walked around the city, skipped rocks in the river, and we walked along a strip of small shops. We never had shops like this back home. There was a shop for everything. They had one for hats; just hats. Of course, I insisted we go in and try some on. I grabbed Bolin's hand and pulled him inside. From the looks of the window displays, they had some crazy headgear. Once we got through the door, I quickly spotted an overly large sunhat in a deep shade of violet. I placed it atop my head and struck a pose leading us both into another fit of laughter. Bolin grabbed a green hat that appeared to be too small for any sized head. He set in on his head as delicately as he could before lifting up his thumbs and flipping his pretend collar. We both started cracking up and this behavior continued until we had tried on every insane hat in the store. I'm surprised we didn't get kicked out for being such a disturbance. Luckily, it was getting late and there were no other customers in the hat shop. After we wiped our tears from our uncontrollable joy, he took me to the top of a huge tower where we looked around at the city from a miraculous view. I could see all the lights surrounding the city from up there. The cool air was a midnight comfort from atop such a high building. I glanced around until I saw my bedroom window which appeared as only a small dot. I then pointed out the statue of my predecessor, Aang. We exchanged stories about the awe-inspiring Avatar. I always wish I had met him. Katara and Tenzin made him sound worth knowing. Bolin impressed me by all of the accurate tales he had heard about Aang. We were up there for what felt like forever until the breeze became chilly and we made our decent back to land. Our night ended in the grass. It felt so soft; ruffling my hair and tickling my toes with every breath from the nighttime wind. We had thrown ourselves down atop the lush landscape. I hated to admit it, but I hadn't had this much fun in a long time. I was actually exhausted from our "not date." My stomach ached from the hours of endless laughter we shared. My cheeks were even sore from smiling so much. We rolled onto our backs and lay down to stare up at the sky. I loved the stars. My hands were snug behind my head as I watched them twinkling against the black. I was busy pursing and relaxing my lips in an attempt to relieve my tired cheek muscles.

"Can I ask you something?" Bolin glanced over at me. I suddenly became nervous. Uh-oh. What could he want to ask me? Different questions rushed through my mind, none of which I was willing to answer. I didn't break my stare with the stars as I responded, "What is it?" He rolled over on his side, holding his head up with one of his hands cradling in its palm. "What happened, you know, with Amon?"

Thank you, Bolin. I realized I was holding my breath and let it out slowly so he wouldn't notice. I was scared he would ask me to be his girlfriend, or what I thought of him or his brother or something that would completely ruin this night. Amon was a subject I could handle compared to breaking sweet Bolin's heart after such a fun evening. "Well, nothing really."

He frowned, "Oh, it's okay. If you don't want to tell me you don't have to." I giggled, finally able to look at him. "No, I mean it. Nothing really happened. His chi-blockers ambushed me, he told me… A few things then all I remember is being unconscious until Tenzin showed up." I shrugged my arms as if it were no big deal but the look on Bolin's face made me feel the terror of that night all over again. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide with worry and shock. "Ambushed? He had you ambushed? He was supposed to meet you alone! What a cheater…" He crossed his arms across his chest, now sitting up. It looked like he was pouting, clearly upset that this villain did not follow the rules. "Are you surprised?" I giggled, sitting up beside him. "He's evil and crazy and fights unfairly." Bolin stated.

I laughed again, resting my head on his shoulder. "Evil people tend to fight like that." My reply was nonchalant. I didn't really want to talk about it anymore. This night was not supposed to involve Amon, Mako, or Asami. But Bolin pried further. "So, he didn't hurt you?" I shook my head, "Mm-mm." I lifted my head from his shoulder and covered the bruise with my hand. Luckily Bolin didn't notice. "Well, next time I'm going with you. I can't believe I let you go alone… after knowing that you would be all alone against someone like that…" Bolin's eyes glistened against the moonlight, shimmering with guilt and deep thought. I stared at him in a slight state of shock. I loved that he was worried for me, but I didn't know how to reply. Before I had a chance to, he gave me a bright smile. "Anyway, did you have a good time tonight?" My lips curved upwards, "Of course! Bolin, it was a lot of fun. Thank you. I needed this." We shared a moment of silent eye contact before I stretched my arms above my head at the sound of the huge clock at Air Temple Island begin to chime. I hoisted myself up, "I better head back before Tenzin gets too worried." Bolin's expression seemed to sadden. "Oh, well do you want me to walk you?" He stood up quickly. I shook my head, "Nah it's okay. You should probably head back too." He frowned but gave me a hug. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow then for practice." I hugged him back, "Of course." I responded before we headed in our opposing directions.

I felt an aching empty feeling in my heart as I began to walk away. Was I beginning to have feelings for Bolin? The thought made my heart beat faster. I couldn't be. I shook the idea away which only made my mind wander to Mako and Asami. What could they be doing right now? I felt nauseous. It was almost one in the morning. If they were still together right now, I knew what they could be doing. It hurt to think about. I needed to figure these feelings out and soon. All of these mixed emotions were going to be the death of me. That's when I remembered his words earlier about not being on a date with Asami the other night. There were now two girls I was competing with? I needed to get a better taste in men. It seems _everyone_ has the same taste as me. I sighed.

"What are you playing at?" I gasped. Spinning around so quickly I almost lost my balance and fell over. The man was leaning up against the side of the building right beside where I was walking. His arms were crossed and his eyes were narrowed at me. "Mako? What are you doing here?" He pushed himself away from the wall but his eyes still glared at me. "Do you like my brother?" I stared at him in confusion. He stepped closer to me, repeating himself slower. I scoffed, "Yeah I do, actually. Why?" He seemed taken aback by this. His eyes widened slightly and he didn't speak. I had the upper hand, at least for a moment. "It shouldn't be any of your concern anyway."

He growled, "It wouldn't have to be but it has to do with my brother." I rolled my eyes. He was so frustrating. "Does Bolin know every detail about you and Asami? Or does he trust your judgment and let you make your own decisions?" He took a step back, glancing away.

I crossed my arms. "And so you know, we aren't dating. We were just having some fun." He gave me a look of pure astonishment. It made the butterflies in my stomach begin to flutter wildly, but not in a good way. The look Mako was giving me made me wonder what Bolin had thought tonight was. "You're stringing him along, Korra. He likes you and you're using him."

"Using him for what?" I was confused. He blushed, ignoring my eyes. "I don't know, you tell me." I was growing impatient, "Just say it! What kind of horrible plan do you think I'm plotting here?" His anger took over. He stepped towards me; his voice was louder and less controlled than before. "If you don't want to be with Bolin, tell him. I won't watch you hurt him."

"I never said I wanted to be with him! We were just having some fun!" He rolled his eyes, "You're crazy." I was exploding inside. No one made my emotions fluctuate the way Mako did, "And you're a nosy jerk!"

"You're a child!"

"You're indecisive and insensitive." I crossed my arms.

"Indecisive?" He pressed. I smirked. "Yes. You're extremely indecisive. You never seemed to care this much about who Bolin likes until his crush just so happens to be me." That soft blush touched his cheeks but it was barely visible in the dark. "The first time we met," I continued, "You called me one of his 'fan girls' which makes me think he's had girls before. But you didn't seem to really care." My smirk widened and my voice dropped an octave, "Until now." He scoffed, working through his thoughts before finally settling on, "It will hurt the team if you two start dating."

"You're dating our sponsor's daughter. That will hurt the team worse if it ends badly." I loved having the upper hand. He crossed his arms and turned away. "That still didn't answer how I'm indecisive." I stepped closer to him. "Admit it, you like me. You don't want me to date Bolin because you like me." I couldn't believe I just said that. My cheeks burned with embarrassment and my heart began beating wildly. He stared at me for a moment before he rolled his eyes for the millionth time. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Just be honest, is that so hard?" I asked. My eyebrows bunched together. It was so irritating. I wish he would just give me a straight forward answer. My heart was bouncing out of my chest. I knew what answer I wanted to hear, but instead I heard nothing at all. He didn't speak. His silence seemed to taunt me. My lips betrayed me as I shouted, "I really like you and I think we were meant to be together!" What did I just do? My entire face was burning now and I knew I had to be glowing with a deep crimson. He stared at me in shock, before all emotion faded away. Mako avoided my gaze. "I'm sorry," His voice was monotonous. "I just don't feel the same way about you." There it was. My heart seemed to completely stop beating. I swear I felt it crippling in my chest. I wasn't good enough; that was the thought that flooded my mind.

I began working through my thoughts aloud, but the thoughts I spoke didn't make me feel any better about myself. "You don't feel the same way... That's understandable. You're with Asami… She's beautiful, rich, and you apparently really like her considering you blow off practice just to see her. I'm assuming if you ever liked me at all, it's just enough to be your back-up in case she doesn't work out..." My heart hurt but it seemed logical when the words left my lips. I frowned, turning away from him. He hadn't even spoken the words and yet I hated him for them. I crossed my arms, my shoulders slouching. Bolin made me feel so good about myself. I was happy and content. I could be the real me around him without feeling insecure or worrying that I would turn him off.

Mako was staring at me; I could feel his gaze on the back of my head. I was too nervous to look at him, so I don't know what kind of expression he wore. He continued to stand there, silent. "Just forget I even said anything." I muttered. His voice softened, "You're an amazing person, Korra. You will never be a back-up." That's it? That's how you're going to try to fix this? What is that even supposed to mean? I felt like I was going to cry hot, angry tears but I choked them back. I let out a humorless laugh before I began to leave, "Good night, fire bender." I referenced my rude goodbye from his 'good night, Avatar.' I was hoping he'd stop me, but instead I heard his footsteps against the pavement; they were growing quieter with every step indicating this war was over. It hurt that he was just going to leave without saying anything else. At least he was honest, I tried to make myself feel better with this fact, but it did nothing to soothe me. I felt even worse now. My heart hurt, my self-esteem was shattered, and my eyes were stinging while I fought back the tears of anger from flooding over. My night had been so great and in one instant, Mako destroyed it.

That's when I heard footsteps approaching me. I didn't want to turn around. I figured it was just someone walking around at one in the morning; that was normal, right? Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm and spun me around. Before I could even react, an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me against the warmth of the person's body. Heat rose in my torso. Was it Mako? Had he finally chose me? I felt my heart beat quicken. My eyes widened, "Mako?"

"Wrong." My entire body went numb. Something shot me in the back before I could make a move. It seemed to shock me. My vision began to fail me, and then soon after, my body fell rigid in the arms of the man that constantly haunted my nightmares. "No… Stop…" The words sounded jumbled and foreign to me. I tried my hardest to regain control of myself but my forehead hit the masked man's shoulder and my eyelids fell heavily over my eyes. The last thing I heard was the man's demonic cackle and the sound of numerous marching footsteps nearing us.

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**Author's Note****: Yes. I updated very quick. You're welcome.(: So please review!**

**Random Question of Curiosity:**

**What'd you think about episode four? Thoughts? Criticism?**

**I will say I feel awesome because I posted chapter three yesterday before seeing the episode today without knowing Korra would hang out with Bolin and I totally wrote that as the end of the third chapter... haha I'm psychic. ;P (This chapter was written after I saw it, obviously, so I incorporated a few things from the episode today into the story.)**


	6. Chapter 6: Terror in the Night

**Author's Note**: This chapter got really long, so now it's broken up into two… The second part is almost finished but let me know what you think so far! Thank you so much for your encouraging words guys! The kind and critical reviews I get are what keeps me willing to update so quickly.(: So keep it up! You're all amazing and I'm hoping this story is meeting your expectations. If not, PM me and let me know what I can do to make it better for you!

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Chapter 6:

_Terror in the Night_

Mako's POV:

I couldn't believe myself. My hand mentally slapped my forehead. I'm a terrible friend and an awful brother. Was I really developing feelings for Korra? I growled. Of course I was. Seeing Bolin wrap his arm around her as he took her on their date, or whatever it was, made me extremely jealous. Even a few minutes after they left when Asami and I met up I still couldn't shake the thoughts of Korra actually falling for Bolin. I was zoning in and out at dinner and I'm sure Asami noticed. Even right now, as I walked back down the lonesome street home I couldn't get Korra out of my mind. Why couldn't I have fallen for her before Bolin, or tonight, or Asami? Why must my true feelings reveal themselves to me at the worst possible time? I had a feeling Korra liked me even before she admitted it. So why didn't I seize the opportunity back then?

I've always sensed a small spark ignite when we were together, but I just assumed it was because of our constant arguments; anger not some kind of attraction. However, now I was second guessing everything. Korra made my emotions spike; I became my angriest, my happiest, and the most irritated with her. No emotion was half-assed. They all struck me with a full blow every time I was around her. Asami made me happy and her presence brought with it a loving warmth that I was growing attached to. We haven't fought once yet and she never said anything upsetting or rude. But she was still a mystery to me. I knew more about Korra because of her honest and outgoing personality. Asami, on the other hand, seemed open enough if I were to ever pry. But she wouldn't just willingly spout out her thoughts or feelings without me questioning her.

I don't know how I thought my plan would have played out. Now that I'm looking back, I don't recall thinking about why I felt the need to confront Korra after the date. Maybe I just wanted to see her face; to see if she was smiling or glowing. I keep catching myself picturing Korra and Bolin kissing each other good night; my eye twitched at the mere thought. She didn't kiss him. She couldn't have. I ran an anxious hand through my hair. Bolin was home, I could always just ask him how it went. Part of me didn't want to know.

I didn't want to turn Korra down. I knew it hurt her; I could see it in her eyes. I almost just told her the truth when her shoulders fell and she turned away from me but instead, I told her I wasn't interested. If only she knew the truth. This frown on my face felt permanent. Maybe my feelings for Asami would outweigh those for Korra in the near future and I would be able to handle watching her and Bolin together. The possibility of that day ever coming seemed unlikely right now. I would just have to suffer through it; better me than happy, go-lucky Bolin. He deserved her. My chest hurt and so did my head. I was thinking about this far too much. "Damn it." I muttered under my breath. She would be home by now, lying in her bed. Would she dream about me again tonight? If she did, it would probably just turn into a nightmare.

I let out a dry chuckle. I was getting tired of emotions. They were overwhelming these days and quite frankly, I wish they would just go away. I usually never thought this deeply about someone on a daily basis. I shook the images of the heartbroken Korra from my mind as I approached that familiar building my brother and I called home.

That's when the sound of marching feet echoing through the streets met my ears. It was coming from the direction I had just traveled from. I could make out a mass black blur moving closer to me with a professional rhythm. I took a few steps towards it. Realization sunk in; this wasn't just a mass. It was an army. "Amon," I was frozen like an antler bunny standing in the path of an angry bender. My eyes glanced back and forth before I decided to hide behind a group of garbage cans to my right. The smell of rotten fruit and sour milk filled my nostrils. I covered my nose, resisting the urge to vomit. They continued their march without noticing me. I watched them pass; each one wore that familiar chi-blocker uniform and their gaze was unwavering on the path ahead of them. Images of my date with Asami suddenly rushed back to me, playing out like a movie in my head. _"Mako," I lifted my gaze to meet the beauty sitting across from me. "Tonight's the night." She was grinning; confidence radiating around her like an aura. I was confused by her words but my thoughts were on Bolin and Korra so I simply smiled. _Amon's raid is tonight. Did she know? Was this what she was referring to? I shook my head wildly. Asami wasn't a bender, but she was a hardcore pro-bending fan and was currently dating a bender: me. She probably said what 'tonight' was when I wasn't paying attention. Once the army had passed, I stood back up. "eh-hem." I jumped at the sound.

Standing in front of the main entrance was a tall, curvy young woman. Her hair was shifting slightly in the soft night air. I forced a smile, but as I grew closer, the smile became genuine. "Asami? When did you get here?" She shrugged. "I've been here awhile. Did you see those strange men?" She had a look of pure worry etched into her features; she still looked beautiful regardless. "Yeah, they are Amon's followers. I wonder where they are going." I was more talking to myself but she walked over to where I still stood only a few feet away. "I don't want to walk home alone now. Not with them wandering around…" That reminded me, "What are you doing here so late?" She wasn't smiling. Around her shoulders hung the jacket that I had worn on our date; she was cold so of course, I wrapped it around her before walking her home. "I wanted to bring your jacket back to you, but you weren't here." She had just been standing out here? I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her. She really was beautiful. "You could've gone up to the apartment. Bolin should be back by now." Considering I knew he wasn't with Korra. She flashed me a half smile but shook her head. "Will you walk me home? I've been here for a while so I figured the least you could do for making me wait is spend some time with me." Her smile was playful now. I nodded and we began to walk. The men had just marched passed us but as we walked, I could not locate a single one of the men that had just passed us in front of my home. The marching feet were now silent. I couldn't imagine where they had gone. If I were Korra, or as irrational as she is, I would have jumped out and tried to get information from them or just attacked. I wrapped my arm around Asami's waist.

I was surprised she hadn't asked where I had been and part of me was extremely relieved she didn't. The other part of me was wondering why. I hadn't done anything except try to talk Korra out of dating my brother. It sounded so bad when I thought about it. Instead we walked with light chit chat about the day and our date. The conversation turned to the army we had just witnessed marching passed, but Asami showed no true sign of fear. She wasn't a bender, so I guess not fearing a 'chi-blocker' would make sense for her. We made it back to her house and she invited me inside. My heart was pounding wildly. Hopefully she just wanted to sit at the table with a cup of something to drink so we could talk. Not… something else. After coming to the realization of my true feelings for another person, I did not want to delve deeper into the relationship I had with Asami right now. We went inside and before she closed the door I glanced around outside once more. Satisfied that the chi-blockers were nowhere in sight, I allowed Asami to shut the door behind me, locking it.

She rushed to the kitchen. I heard the clinking of glass while glancing around the large main room. "Nice place." I mumbled. Everything was brilliant and clean; the complete opposite of my current living situation. "Thanks!" She reappeared in front of me with two glasses with some kind of liquid in them. She handed one to me. "Tonight's the night," Her smile was wide and gorgeous. I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks. I choked, mentally freaking out. Was she serious? "Um," She stepped closer to me to close the gap between us. She had spoken those words earlier tonight and I now realized, at least assumed, what she must have been referring to. Her slender finger met my lips. She held up her glass, "Cheers."

I was confused, but anything to keep our clothes on sounded great right now. I looked her up and down. She was wearing a ruby dress that hugged her curves and black high heels; the same attire she was wearing on our date earlier. Her hair fell in loose curls framing her smiling face. Something was wrong with me. I held up my glass and tapped it against hers. "Cheers." I echoed with a grin. We both took a large gulp from our glasses and I realized it was wine. "So you never said what tonight was." I stated, tipping the glass to either side, watching the remaining liquid drift with each movement.

She giggled. "Where's Korra?" I was taken aback. What? Why would she be asking about Korra? "Why?" Asami shrugged. "She's your friend and I still haven't really got to know her. We've only met once and I feel like she wasn't too fond of me for some reason." A playful smirk touched her already smiling lips. "Have you been gossiping about me?" She winked and took a step closer. I rubbed the back of my head with my free hand. "No, she's just… hard to get along with." If you're my girlfriend, I thought. I took a step backwards. My eyes gazed over her head and noticed a large grandfather clock ticking away in the far corner of the room. The light in the kitchen was on but this room was still shrouded in darkness. I narrowed my eyes to focus; it was almost two in the morning. Where was Korra? In bed most likely. Who asks questions like that at two in the morning?

Asami took another step closer, now her body was against mine. She leaned up, her voice almost a whisper. "You saw her earlier, didn't you? Did she seem well?" How did she know? I gave out a nervous laugh. "She seemed great. Bolin took her on a," Say it. Say it so she doesn't assume something. "Date." Boom. Anger flooded through me but as quickly as it came it went away. On impulse, I took another swig from my glass. My throat felt tight and dry. "She seems like a sweet girl…" She poked my chest. "Too bad, I guess." Her voice was still soft. Before I could reply her bright, emerald eyes captivated me. She was smiling as she forced herself up on her tiptoes until her lips were against my ear. I was blushing. I could almost feel the blood as it pulsed through my veins. Her voice was soft as she whispered. "Demoralize the enemy from within by surprise, terror, sabotage, assassination…" The blood in my veins felt like it was freezing over. I could feel the color flooding from my entire body into a puddle on the floor. "This is the war of the future*." My stomach did a nauseating flip. Those were the same words Amon had spoken earlier today while staring directly at me and my brother. My heart fell to my toes.

I raised an eyebrow, "So how?" What? I shook my head. "Why bad too, huh?" I didn't even know what I was saying. My thoughts were forming in my head perfectly fine and then jumbling together before they made it to my lips. I held the side of my head with one hand, taking a step back as the room began to spin. "Wha- … going on?" I made my eyes focus on Asami's face; she was smirking. It was no longer the same smile she was flashing me before. Now, her smile seemed sinister. All signs of play had vanished. "You were sweet. Too bad you were dumb enough to get caught up in this." I glanced down at my glass as the truth finally sunk in. I had been betrayed. I let the glass slip from my hand. The sound of it shattering against the wooden floor was muffled by the growing fog in my head. "You… drug… me." She rolled her eyes. "Clearly." Her hand barely touched my chest and I stumbled backwards into the door.

"Asami." Her name came so easy. Why was this happening? "I'm sorry, Mako. Remember the other night when you snuck off with those rebels to find the chi-blockers?" I could barely concentrate. She spoke slower. "The night Amon was going to fight Korra." I nodded slowly, still trying to balance myself. My 'date' that night, of course I remembered. Tarrlok had asked me in private to help him take down one of the main headquarters of the chi-blockers and Equalists. I agreed the moment he said we would be helping Korra without anyone even knowing it was us. He was wrong, of course, considering Asami and Amon both already knew about it. We ended up fighting and destroying many of the chi-blockers before we burned the place down. I found it to be slightly inhumane to burn a large building filled with people, but the whole time I just kept telling myself it was for Korra; and it would help protect my brother from further harm in the long run.

"Our movement truly begins tonight; first with you, then the rest of the troublesome benders, then with the Avatar." No. Korra was safe at home, snuggled beneath her sheets. She saw my terror and laughed. "Amon should be handling her now. As for you, well, you're my problem according to Amon." My heart stopped. I just left her all alone in the middle of an empty road at one in the morning. Had the thought even crossed my mind that Amon would take that as his chance to strike? Of course not. I'm too selfish to consider someone else's safety. "Where she?" My babbling was not going to get us anywhere without me being able to form a sentence. An uncontrollable rage sparked in the pit of my stomach. She let out another laugh. "Don't worry, Mako. He isn't going to kill her. If he does, the Avatar will just be reborn and what good will that do us?"

"Why?" I knew it wouldn't matter, but this hurt worse than any blow I've ever received in a pro-bending match; I now knew how I made Korra feel only an hour ago. "Why?" She mocked. She turned away with her fists trembling. "My father says Amon is brilliant and that his ideas are bound to create a much better and more industrialized world." I could tell Asami's father had not told her all the details of why Amon was 'so great' because she had a look of confusion on her face; misunderstanding was tugging at the edges of her frowning crimson lips. I was losing my balance now. She glanced at me while I grabbed onto the door knob to steady myself. My legs were trembling beneath my weight, threatening to drop me to the floor. She was staring off again, lost in a forgotten world that I would never be able to see. "My father wanted a son, you know. A _bender. _Then, he got stuck with a non-bending daughter instead. I know he hates me. He has to. But I will do whatever it takes to make him love me like the child he has always truly wanted."

I had never seen her in such a fragile state. This was not the path she needed to be on. Her arms crossed in front of her while she continued staring at her demons on the shadowy wall beside us. While she was distracted, I reached my hand behind my back, unlocking the door. "Click!" Shit. She snapped back to reality, watching me. "At first I told Amon and my father that I wasn't going to hurt you. I really cared about you, Mako." The way she said my name still made my heart pound. "But you just had to join Tarrlok and the rebels. You know the Equalists were having a meeting there that night, right?"

What did this have to do with her? Since when did she hate benders? Her father had benders working for him! And they were sponsoring a pro-bending team. She let out a single chuckle. "My father was in that building when you burned it down." Guilt filled my being. I had messed up; bad. "Don't worry, he's alive." Her glare became sinister, "Barely." One of my legs slipped and I held on to the door knob with both hands, trying to prevent falling down. "Asami, I'm so sorry. I didn't know." She shrugged, pulling a knife from behind her back. "It's alright. I'll get my revenge." Her hand pulled back, preparing a strike. My hazy mind began racing. Where and when did she get a knife? Was she hiding it this whole time? I needed to gain control. My head was spinning wildly.

I turned the door knob and threw open the door. I ran into the door frame but recovered and began to bolt. The connection between my brain and my limbs seemed to have snapped because my legs were dancing beneath me before I hit the ground. I scrambled, crawling awkwardly down the street. She was walking beside me, laughing. "The big, strong Mako is on his knees! Crawling to safety." She grabbed the back of my shirt and helped me up. I finally got my balance back but the image of her in front of me was beginning to fade to black. I heard her whisper, "I'm sorry." Before her lips met mine. My body ached from Asami's betrayal. The right side of my torso was burning from guilt; no wait. That doesn't make sense. I broke the kiss and took a sloppy step away from her. That's when I heard it: the wet, painful sound of her knife pulling away from my ribs. She held it up and I watched the blood drip onto her fingers. She wasn't smiling at least. Her face was solemn and her eyes almost looked sad. I gripped my side as the agony finally hit me.

I let out a humorless chuckle at the irony of my life. If I had just told Korra how I felt long ago, I wouldn't have met Asami. And if I had, at least it wouldn't have come to this. Even tonight, if I would've opened up and was honest with Korra, most likely I would have walked her home. Then at least I would know she was safe from harm. I closed my eyes, not willing to look at the puddle of blood forming in my hand from the open wound. Her heels echoed off the ground as she approached. I remembered back to the argument Korra and I had gotten into about Asami when Korra began conspiring against the woman she had only met once. I laughed, "I can't wait for you to meet Korra." My eyes opened. I grinned, wincing at the pain that shot through me from laughing. "She'll love to know she was right."

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**Author's Note**: Next chapter is almost complete! Should be up tonight or tomorrow depending on how I like it while editing… I always end up changing something… Well, please review!

*Quote by Hitler (Don't sue me!)

Random Question:

What is your favorite animal creature from either Avatar the Last Airbender or Legend of Korra?

Mine is: Pabu.(: He's so cute!


	7. Chapter 7: Captive

**Author's Note**: This story began as that first chapter in Amon's POV. It just came to me randomly so I went with it. I almost just made it a oneshot; something different, but I knew that would be stupid… Luckily, I decided to take this story somewhere. I'm really proud of this story, if that sounds conceited I'm sorry, but you try putting together an entire story out of the intro for this story! Wasn't easy… It still isn't lol. But all because of you amazing reviewers my fingers have kept moving and my brain has been motivated enough to update just about every other day.(: I can't believe I only started this story two weeks ago… So thank you so much! Really!

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Chapter 7:

_Captive_

Korra's POV:

"Let me go! You're a coward! Let me go and fight me if you're so powerful!" The words were like vomit; loud, uncontrollable vomit. I couldn't stop shouting rude comments to the man I couldn't see, but I knew he could hear me. My wrists were bound to the wall with metal, but my legs were still free. I was kicking wildly, allowing flames to erupt from my toes in every direction. No one was there; the dark, dreary room was empty. I looked around, spotting a window to my left. The window was the only object in the room besides the electric prod in the far corner by the door; it looked similar to that of the chi-blockers. The floor was cement and so were the walls. The metal door was huge and it appeared to be quite thick. The room was uninviting to say the least.

"You bastard! Let's do this! C'mon," The door opened. The light from the moon was all I had to work with when a dark, shadowy figure stepped inside. His head was bowed until he was only a foot away from me. "Silly girl." His voice sounded amused and fury flooded through me. "Let me go!" I fought against my restraints. "Why tie me up? Are you scared of me or something?" My mouth just kept going. He knelt in front of me at that slow pace of his. "Scared of you?" My heart instantly began bouncing against my ribs. His face was still staring at the cement. He laughed. "Not quite." Suddenly, his hand shot out and he roughly grabbed my chin; that familiar rise of fear replaced all signs of anger. "For every scream you make, for every time I have to come in here to hush your senseless ramblings, someone will die. So the ultimate question here is," His eyes narrowed, "How many lives are you willing to risk?" My eyes widened, "You're… You wouldn't do that." His chuckle was dark. "Oh wouldn't I? Shall we test that theory, child?" My heart sunk deep into my chest. I wanted to shout I wanted to cry; I needed to break out of here. I forced my gaze down so I wouldn't say or do something regretful. "You will learn to obey." I still wouldn't look at him, "I won't let you hurt anyone else." He lowered his face closer to mine. "Hm, what's that troublesome firebender's name again… Mylo?" He was taunting me and I quickly took the bait. "Mako." I corrected in a low, hate-filled tone. His demonic cackle sent a shiver down my spine. "Yes, _Mako._ Too bad you weren't there to rescue him."

No, it wasn't true. "Where is he?" My gaze shot up; my eyes were searching his for answers I knew I did not want to find. "What did you do?" It wasn't true. "My followers should be taking action tonight. I specifically ordered for his demise." His voice was amused; it wouldn't be true. "Why him?" It couldn't be true. "You're lying!" Tears were flooding down my face. I couldn't stop them. It was as if a dam had been broken and the pent up water was finally roaring freely along my cheeks, dripping onto my knees. I shook my head wildly. He was laughing now; it was a dry, unkind type of laugh. A sob left my lips. His gloved hand stroked my hair while he hushed me. He leaned in closer until his forehead was touching mine. "Don't fret, child. He could never have loved you, anyway." That was it. I looked up and spat in his face; or at least at his mask. He stared at me, his eyes narrowing.

The silence between us made my blood pulse so quickly I thought my veins would burst. He stood up and then his fist met my cheek. I heard my neck crack with the pressure of his punch. My cheek almost instantly swelled. "Watch it, Avatar. Just because I won't kill you that doesn't mean I'm not willing to bring you close to it." I refused to meet his gaze. I felt like he was waiting for something because he just stood there, staring at me while I tried to halt the incessant tears leaking from my eyes. Once he was satisfied nothing more was going to happen, he growled before sauntering back out, the metal door closing with a startling bang indicating he was gone.

Those familiar images from my previous nightmares reemerged: Bolin's lake of thick blood, his bright eyes dull and round with terror. And then Mako, was he screaming right now? Was he really… gone? My body went numb. Our last conversation kept replaying in my mind. He didn't want me, Amon was right about that. But could that really be the last time we ever see each other? A flood of guilt washed over me. "Mako," I whispered. More tears begged to erupt from behind my eyes but I refused to let them come again. If I let out a stream, I knew it would quickly turn into a waterfall just like before. Had they hurt Bolin too? I hated myself. Someone had hurt Mako and I wasn't there to do anything. I'm the Avatar, the keeper of the peace, and I can't even save my friends from some masked freak.

My cheek was pounding but the pain was nothing compared to the ache in my guilty heart. The center of my back was still sore from the electric prod Amon used to capture me. I felt exhausted for some reason. I closed my eyes in an attempt to force sleep upon myself. I don't know if it worked, but Bolin was now laughing beside me. The cold cement was now warm, sunbathed grass. The sun was beating down on us and the dreary ceiling was replaced with a bright blue sky. Mako was standing in front of us with one hand on his hip. He was smiling too. Both of my boys were safe and close. I let out a soft laugh before tugging Mako to his knees and throwing my arms around both of them.

Please wake up. Tell me I'm dreaming. Tell me I somehow found sleep in this eternal hell. Bolin was now lying down in the grass but when I peered over at him, he was pale and lifeless. His eyes open in that familiar terrified expression. My body shook, "Bolin? Bolin!" I tried shaking him back to life but it was to no avail. Amon was nowhere in sight, but his voice echoed as if he were in my head. "It's no use. He has already been eliminated." I began to sob into my knees. Once I finally had the courage to pull my gaze up, Bolin's lifeless form was gone and so was Mako. Where was Mako? I frantically looked around before noticing my small, child-like fingers.

The grass was now flames. The sky was now smoking. Flames were everywhere. I think I was in a house now. The flickering fire slithered up the crackling wooden beams. A chunk of the wooden ceiling creaked and moaned as the heat intensified and it fell in front of me. Sparks flew but I was huddled in the far corner, holding my legs tight against my chest. I was young, a child. My little frame was cowering in the corner of the room with tears drenching my terrified eyes. It was like watching myself from a different corner in the house. I could feel the heat as it snaked its way towards the little girl. The fire crawled up every wall leaving no escape for the child. She was trapped. Another fraction of the ceiling fell, releasing a huge gust of thick black smoke. The little girl began coughing. The smoke was filling her lungs. She looked so helpless and alone. I noticed in her trembling hand was a flower. It was white, still pure white even as the smoke stained the girls face and clothes, the flower remained untouched.

The fire circled around her, spreading enough to begin its rampage on the corner of the walls she was cowering in. I watched her face morph as she screamed; but nothing came out. Her voice was lost. I couldn't watch. My eyes closed and the smell of burning flesh and fire vanished.

I slowly opened one eye. The burning house was gone and so was the lone child. I was myself again and I was standing in a never ending field of grass. Right between my feet was a beautiful white lilac. I smiled at the symbol of innocence and ran my fingers along its petals with a gentle touch. The moment my skin touched the first petal, it began to wilt. Why? What had I done to destroy such beauty? "It's not dead." I gasped, spinning around so fast I fell on my butt. Standing before me was an air bender. "Aang?" He smiled with a nod before kneeling beside me. His gaze was set on the wilted lilac. "It's not dead." Aang's attention turned to me; he was still smiling as if he were a happy child. He touched the flower with a single finger and the petals sprung back up to their cheerful state. They no longer drooped or sagged, they stood up tall and strong. The flower seemed even more beautiful than before. I grinned happily. "How did you do that?" He was gone. I looked around but he was nowhere. I was alone.

I opened my eyes, to reality this time. Another nightmare; at least this time I didn't wake up screaming. My eyes surveyed the unfamiliar room I was in. It took me a long moment before I remembered everything that had happened. I heard the metal door unlock. The man began to walk closer to me. "Finally awake I see." His voice was taunting. This wasn't the man I despised. It was just a chi-blocker. He was carrying a tray of food which I assume was for me. He set the tray in front of me on the ground before staring at me from behind his alien-like mask. I stared back through narrow eyes. "How do you expect me to eat that?" I asked, nodding towards my captive hands. He chuckled, running his hand along the side of my swollen cheek. I winced. "I don't see how someone so weak can be the Avatar." I glared at him without a word. "You are pretty cute though, I'll give you that." I snorted, "Go to hell." My voice was harsh and raspy. I was so thirsty. My gaze fell to the tray between us. The food was in short supply and looked more like something Naga would eat; if she were starving for weeks. There was a glass of water too. I licked my dry lips.

I knew my concentration was lacking because I hadn't noticed the chi-blocker taking off his mask. He was leaning in towards me for something; I'm assuming an unwelcomed kiss. "Um, no." I pulled my leg back and forced my foot as deep into his torso as I could muster. He flew into the wall on the other side of the room, gripping his stomach in pain. He groaned, "You bitch…" He stood up, walking towards me. I puffed out my chest, my eyebrows were furrowed together, and I glared at him as he approached. He pulled back his fist to punch me, but I didn't even wince. I didn't break our stare. So instead, he grinned, eyeing the metal stick in the corner of the room. He walked over and picked it up.

I wasn't going to show fear that easily, not for some random chi-blocker. He was towering over me now, a smirk on his lips. "Go ahead. Do it." I was speaking through gritted teeth. I could tell he was not pleased by my response. The prod came at me but I twisted my body to the side to avoid it. My leg spun up and nailed the man in the side of the head throwing him off kilter. He lunged at me once more with the metal stick. My foot hit his hand and knocked it away. The man growled, grabbing it back off the ground. "That spirit of yours will be broken soon enough. You're worthless. The new order begins tonight and the Avatar will not be there to save anyone." A sick smile plagued his features. He pulled the mask back down over his face. "Where is Amon?" I shouted. Anger pulsed through me.

"Amon will be back soon." The man gave me a casual salute before heading back out of the room. I stuck my tongue out at his back before the door shut once more and I felt that isolated, weak feeling begin to rise up in the pit of my stomach. The stranger had a point. I am worthless. Amon's followers could be doing whatever they want to the benders of Republic City while I'm trapped in here doing nothing to save them. Why was I chosen to be the Avatar? My head bowed in silent defeat. Amon was not only evil; he was right, about everything. I couldn't fight this newfound guilt and self-pity. It seemed to corrupt the Korra I thought I was and I couldn't stop it; just like I couldn't stop Amon or his army. My dry lips smacked together. I tried to swallow, but my throat was so dry it just caused me to cough. I yanked on one of my arms, already knowing the result, before attempting to bend the water from the glass on my tray.

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Amon grabbed his mask. He was obviously frustrated but was able to contain himself. "Did it work?" One of his followers asked. He had just left the Avatar's cell. The four people standing with him stared at his mask, eagerly waiting for a reply. "No. Simply telling her one of her teammates is dead will not work." He glanced over at Hiroshi Sato. "I told you." Hiroshi stepped back, his gaze serious. "It would have put Asami at a higher risk if she had to bring Mako all the way here. Having him walk her home seemed like a safer plan." Amon chuckled, "Asami's safety? You've never been worried for such a thing. You realize, regardless of suspicion on the firebender's part, eventually he'll catch on. Whether it's after she strikes or before. Then what? She's not a bender, and he bends fire. Where in this plan were you considering her safety?" Hiroshi's expression was unmoved. He didn't reply for a moment as he stared back at Amon. "She'll get the job done as promised." Amon glanced around the group. "Let's hope not... What's the time? Would Asami have carried out her orders by now?" Hiroshi reached into the pocket of his dress coat and pulled out a gold pocketwatch. "I don't believe so." He stared at the second hand as it ticked. Amon nodded, hurrying past the four men. "Where are you going?" Amon stopped in his tracks without turning around. "If Korra cannot access the Avatar state with the statement that Mako is dead," He was grinning behind his mask, "We'll have to show her his death firsthand." The men looked at each other before glancing back at the cloaked man as he vanished. Mako was his goal now. His brisk, confident strides grew quicker; he hoped he wouldn't be too late.

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**Author's Note**: I need to stop updating so quickly… I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself once this story is over. Haha If you have any ideas for new stories let me know! (: (before you freak out this story is not close to being done. Or at least, I don't think so. I have way to many ideas for it to be over soon.) But I have nothing to write after this! Gahh. -_-


	8. Chapter 8: A Brotherly Betrayal

**Author's Note: Oh my gosh, I had a really long day of finals (college, yay.) and then I've been at work since then. I can't express how much it meant to come home to all of those kind words.(: I'm so glad you're all enjoying this story as much as I am with writing it! Once I finish this, I will definitely try writing a story about Aang after the show! Thank you all so much! Really. I can't stop smiling(:**

**Haha this review is why I updated… It really made me laugh for some reason:**

**Hollyberry265 5/14/12 . chapter 7**

_**"It's been a few days and you still haven't updated..."**_

**Sorry Hollyberry, I'll try to **_**completely **_**eliminate any ideas of having a life just to finish this for you. ;) haha (teasing)**

**By The Way, this chapter wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be... So I'm sure tomorrow I'll end up coming up with something better and adjusting it as I see fit. Just forwarning. I always think of something better or different wording for certain parts **_**after **_**I post it. Anyway, here you go.**

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Chapter 8:

_A Brotherly Betrayal _

Bolin's POV:

Her auburn locks twirled as the breeze shifted directions. I couldn't help but watch after her as she left. She smiled, melting my heart like chocolate in the sun. Her azure pools glowed against the moonlight. I knew I was blushing. I knew I was just staring at her, but I was unconsciously arguing over whether I should give her a kiss or walk her home even though she said she wanted to walk alone. My passive side won; I leaned in and gave her a loving hug.

Once she was out of view, I jumped into the air, spinning around and punching at the invisible creature in front of me, "Yes! Yes! Boom! I rocked that date!" I stuck out my butt and hummed an awkward tune. I pointed my fingers up and down towards the sky as a fun dance move before finally deciding I should begin my walk back home. Usually with my luck, Korra would be standing right there to witness my elated behavior, but luckily she was still gone; I checked. "Best date ever!" She was falling for me! I could feel it. I couldn't stop smiling. My toes were dancing as I made my way home. I couldn't believe it. I had never been with a girl before that didn't actually have a crush on my brother or ended up liking my brother more than me; I was finally first. My smile broadened. I was humming to myself as I went home. I can't even count how many times I made her laugh; she had a joyous, toe-tingling laugh. I was falling for this girl big time. She was perfect and she liked me! I felt invincible. My footsteps felt lighter with every step as if I were walking on clouds.

A savory aroma filled my nostrils, drawing me away from my present path to the apartment and into the nearby noodle shop. I had just eaten with Korra but the smell of water tribe herbs and spices was intoxicating. I took a seat at a booth by the window and ordered a bowl; just one. Pretty soon that one turned into three. By my fourth bowl I decided I should stop and head home so that Mako wouldn't begin to worry about me. I stood up and patted my belly. A loud belch left my lips as I took a step outside. I paused just outside of the shop, taking in a deep breath of that crisp, night air. My eyes glanced to my side. Korra would have been laughing with me right now. Too bad she had to leave. I frowned; our date had gone by so fast.

I glanced down the street and spotted the building that I considered home, taking a few steps towards it. My bed sounded nice right now, especially after two meals in less than three hours. It all happened so fast. I was still patting my stomach when an eruption of shattering glass and broken memories ricocheted around me. I closed my eyes instinctively against the burst of sound, opening them slowly to find that the building in front of me had exploded. Fragmented windows, weights, gallons of water, and chunks of exterior flew everywhere. It was like slow motion; the building let out a ripple of detonations. Then, it gradually fell down upon itself into a pile of the past. The building was so huge; the pro-bending arena was inside of it, how could it fall so easily? Within moments, my home was gone. I stared in utter disbelief, unable to lift my now heavy heels. My jaw felt as heavy as my feet; it was hanging on its hinges. The collapse was devastating in itself, but then my biggest fear finally surfaced.

I gasped, "Mako!" Could he have been home? Or was he having one of his ritualistic late-night workouts? Either way, that would mean he was inside. My full gut felt like it was going to regurgitate all of the noodles I had inhaled only minutes before. I was watching the fire plumes rising up to block out the stars when a rough hand grabbed my shoulder. "Hey kid. You're a bender?" It was a question. I glanced over my shoulder to see a chi-blocker. Once he saw my face, he must have remembered me because he motioned his hand to order two other chi-blockers over to us. "This one's a bender as well. But he was with the Avatar and that firebender. Should we take this one to Amon?" The name of that creep made me shiver. One of the others shrugged. I turned around and grabbed the hand on my shoulder. "Maybe you should ask me if I _want _to go?" I suggested with a sense of humor.

The man leapt over me. "Whoa, you guys are like badger frogs!" I tried to keep up my light-hearted exterior but it seemed to be fading as my mind continued drifting to my brother. Was he safe? Spirits, let Mako be somewhere; anywhere else but in that pile of ashes. My eyes glanced back at the towering inferno that had blackened out the moon within minutes. I spun around just in time to get electrocuted by one of the chi-blocker's prods. I gripped my stomach with a groan. Taking a few steps back, I decided to attack; my leg came forward as I ushered my hand upwards towards the smoke-filled sky. Nothing happened. "Uh-oh," I stared at the men in front of me and they stared back. I blinked twice trying to think about what to do. "Umm… time to go!" I shouted.

My restless feet carried me down the street as fast as I could muster on a full stomach. I ran quick; at least quicker than the chi-blockers. They chased after me, calling to the others up ahead on my path. There were two standing beside the apartment, or what was left of it, eyeing it curiously as if they weren't sure they blew up the right building. Why were there so many of these aliens lurking around tonight anyway? I had little time to think about it. I side stepped around a stunned chi-blocker before he could catch on to what the others were shouting to him. I let out a loud yell as I accelerated my pace; smart idea, Bolin. Alert every enemy in town that you're coming. I recognized up ahead was Asami. She had blood dripping down her entire arm. Why would they attack her? She wasn't even a bender. I gasped, but she was dating one: _was. _The word echoed in my head. I shook the images of the burning building from my mind however I couldn't shake the hollow forming in my heart.

I was close now, but I hadn't decelerated. I tried to slow my feet, but they seemed more terrified than I was because they refused my unconscious demands. I was too close to stop. Asami glanced up at me while I looked down at her feet. A boy was wincing in pain, clutching at his side. "Mako?" Whack! I ran straight into Asami, knocking her to the cold ground with me on top of her. I heard a loud crack as if her skull was crushed against the pavement. I lifted my head with a moan. "Are you alright? I-why are you covered in blood? Are you bleeding?" I asked curiously observing the girl beneath me. Her eyelids were closed. My eyes widened in terror; there was a deep gash in her upper arm. She let out a soft sound but she didn't move.

Mako stared at me in shock. His eyes were narrow as if he was trying really hard to concentrate. "Bolin?" He smiled. "You have some amazing timing. I owe you one." My eyebrow rose in confusion. 'Owe me one?' I just rammed his girlfriend into the pavement with full force, and he was happy about that? I quickly jumped to my feet, brushing myself off. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I couldn't stop and I was being chased by-" Mako's movement cut me off as I watched him. He struggled to roll onto his single hand and knees. A soft groan left his lips. His words were slightly slurred and he spoke slowly, making sure to pronounce each syllable; it was a struggle to understand him. "Shut up and help me up. We have to," He moved one leg in an attempt to stand up, "Find… Korra." That's when it hit me that we may have lost our home, but my big brother was still alive. A huge smile cut across my lips. "Mako!" I threw my loving arms around him. He growled, shuttering away from my hug but I didn't let go. "I thought you were gone! I'm so glad you're not dead! I saw the explosion and I couldn't even imagine you being inside!" He stared at me with the same confused look I was giving him only moments ago.

I glanced down at Asami who was now holding her forearm and slowly sitting up. She seemed puzzled that some large mass just ran her over. I spotted the bloody knife beside her hand. I trembled and my eyes widened, "Is that a… knife? Did I hurt you?" I stared at her forearm and frowned.

Mako growled, "Bolin!" I turned to my brother. "We," He held his forehead, shaking his head wildly. "Have to… out here." I assumed he was saying it was time to go, while I rubbed the back of my head with a humorless laugh. I grabbed his forearm and helping him stagger to his feet. He weighed a lot more than I initially thought. I spread my feet apart to balance our weight. "What happened? Why are you talking so weird? Are you drunk?" He gently pushed me away. "Nothing. No." I frowned. My gaze was now back in the direction I had been charging away from; the chi-blockers somehow had not caught up to us yet but they were probably on their way.

I looked down at Asami, who seemed to be in pain from the impact. I frowned, was I really getting that fat? It couldn't have hurt _that_ bad. "You're just going to leave her here?" Mako chuckled without a word. He took a few slow steps away and I followed suit, still completely lost after the events I had witnessed tonight. He staggered; both of his feet seemed lost. His right foot got caught on his left leg. He steadied himself just enough to not topple over to the ground before his left leg made the same mistake. I grabbed his arm and wrapped it around my shoulders. Something wasn't right with my brother, but I couldn't comprehend what it could be. His hand was still gripping his side.

I opened my mouth to ask him about it when suddenly a large group of chi-blockers were standing in our path. We turned to the side and there were even more. "Good, I got here in time. Ah, and I see I have two rewards for my troubles. I thought you would have been blown up, earth bender." I gasped, that huge explosion was just for me? In a strange way I felt touched. I ogled the side of my brother's face. His eyes were closed. He had stopped dead in his tracks. His shoulders tensed. My body felt cold. I couldn't explain this overwhelming chill rushing through my blood; it had to be fear. We both turned around. Amon was standing beside Asami, helping her to her feet. She had a look of shame poisoning her defined features. I also noticed a hefty lump forming on the back of her head from the fall. Behind them stood an army of chi-blockers; I'm assuming the ones from in front of the noodle shop and then of course they brought the rest of their gang.

Mako hesitantly let go of his side and readied himself in a stance. It took an eternity for everything to register. Asami wasn't covered in her own blood; well, other than the small gash she made with the knife when I ran into her, she was covered in my brother's. Crimson tears soaked through his torn shirt; crying from the wound that hid beneath it. "Are you okay?" I asked. The worry was evident in my shaky tone. He was glaring at Amon. "Perfect." Mako was always the tough guy. He never showed signs of pain. It made me feel weak in comparison. I shrunk into myself for a second before forcing away all thoughts of inadequacy. I prepared myself in an earth bending stance. I wasn't sure if my bending would work yet, thanks to those chi-blockers, but I might as well try.

"I'm glad to know you're _here_." Mako stated in that sluggish, slurred tone to Amon. I was confused still, but I tried not to show it. Amon's eyes scrunched in the corners from behind that creepy mask, indicating a smile was present. "Live meat is always better."

The chi-blockers began to close in on us. Mako spun in a circle; fire dancing around him like a whip. I laughed, "Yeah but Mako likes his meat cooked, not raw!" My laughter died down when no one else laughed. Mako was staring at me, his eye twitching. I shrugged before he shot a ball of flames towards a large group of chi-blockers to his right. His aim was completely off, but luckily, he hit one of them by random fate. The enemy toppled backwards. Mako stumbled, causing his flames to evaporate instantly on his second shot of fire. His legs were fighting to hold up his weight. I turned to my left and forced my foot downward; it worked! A huge chunk of earth rose up from the ground. I motioned my hands forward towards the enemy and the earth shot at them, throwing them backwards. Amon was glaring at Mako's wound. "Thank you, Asami. I owed this firebender an injured torso." He touched the side of his stomach with a dry laugh. My eyes searched everyone's faces for answers but they all held a different string of emotions. Mako seemed lost as if his brain was failing him, Amon looked amused and Asami just looked away. I couldn't place her facial expression. I stopped staring around and jumped in front of Mako. He was uselessly standing there, staring at Amon. His expression was forced. I could see the anger slowly clouding over from the alcohol I know my brother had to be wasted on to be acting so strangely. I forced my eyes away from my brother as I began attacking the chi-blockers now rushing at Mako; he stood, barely, with his legs shaking and his hazy, distant gaze was still just set on Amon. Was he really that gone? I jumped to the right of my older brother and forced another slab of concrete at one of the alien's heads. A boisterous laugh left my confident lips. "Nailed him!" I shouted before hearing an unorganized thud behind me.

Mako's POV:

I couldn't stop it. My vision was fading; I felt blind. My entire body was trembling. I took a step backwards before dropping to my knees. Amon was laughing. "What's the matter, firebender?" My side was pulsing as blood continued to gush out. It was leaking through my fingers; I gripped it tighter. I winced while a wave of pain flooded my torso. "Whe-whler is… Korra…" My words were working for me only minutes ago, what was going on? Maybe if I speak slowly… It was too late. My train of thought let out its last whistle before leaving the station. "You'll be with her soon enough." Amon's voice was the last thing I heard before my body finally gave in to whatever Asami had poisoned me with and I fell to the pavement. I didn't know if the word actually left my lips but I forced my lips to at least form the word, "Run," To my brother. Bolin's cry to me sounded muffled and repetitive as it bubbled up into a soft haze.

Thank you betrayal; Asami, good for you. You won. My little brother was now fighting a gang of crazed chi-blockers and a madman all alone while I laid here like a weakling. Maybe now your father will love you and you will be happy. I'm sure it would all be over soon. She had me where she wanted me, right? Helpless on the icy ground without any way to stop her from finishing me off? I could feel the blood pooling beneath my wound as I waited for my demise. Could this really be where it ends; where all of my hard work and determination fails me?

This was a terrible feeling. I felt bad for Asami, even if she was working with the Equalists. Everyone had their reasons for what they did, right? Whether it was justified or simple betrayal, I still cared about her and this still hurt. Everything went white as if in a dream before a hand reached out for me. The owner of the hand was smiling down at me and I smiled back. "Korra," My dream heart fluttered at the touch of her soft skin. I stood up beside her. Did this mean I was dead; or worse, did this mean Korra was dead? Bolin was not here, thank spirits for that. I touched the side of my chest where my wound was to find that my shirt was sewn back together and the blood was gone; just a dream. I looked back into dream Korra's endless pools of blue topaz. My fingers brushed against her cheek; it felt real enough but that frown still tugged at my lips as I realized I wasn't dead and I had no confirmation that my brother was still in the world of the living either.

Bolin's POV:

And like that I was alone. My brother lay still beside me; the only movement was the rhythmic motion of his back indicating he was still breathing. What was going on? "Don't worry, Mako. I've got this." I threw my foot to the ground sending a chunk of earth upwards before I forced my hands towards Amon, throwing it straight at him. He dodged it with ease. Amon began walking closer to me. I glanced around and noticed all of the chi-blockers were getting closer too. I forced another slab at the masked villain but he once again acted as if it were moving in slow motion and merely stepped to the side to avoid its force. "Is that all? You're no threat." His gaze was on my sleeping brother.

"What do you want?" I asked, stepping in front of Mako. Before I had time to react, a chi-blocker elbowed me in the back of the head. I stumbled forward; something wrapped around my wrists, forbidding them from attacking. Amon pointed to Mako. One of the men picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. I glanced at Asami but she refused my gaze. "What are you doing? You're just going to stand there and let them get away with this?" My voice cracked. I couldn't control my emotions: fear, anger, confusion, I was plagued with all of them. She crossed her arms, still staring off as if she didn't hear me. I turned my attention to the chi-blocker that had my big brother captive in his arms. My head rammed into his stomach, "Let him go!" I shouted. It was no use. A hand grabbed my shoulder and with rough force pulled me backwards to the ground. I kicked but nothing happened. These chi-blockers were getting on my nerves. I spun around on my butt and slid my leg into one of their shins knocking him to the ground. I was about to stand up when I noticed Amon was now towering right over me. I glared at him.

Amon let out a demonic chuckle. "Stop resisting." I fought to break my hands free. His next words stunned me. "Come quietly and Korra may live. If not, I will make sure her demise is slow and excruciating." I stared at him with wide eyes. He had Korra; that's why Mako kept asking him where she was. "How did you…" My throat tightened; this madman had Korra, _my _Korra. He laughed, "Ask your brother." My heart stopped in my chest. "What do you mean?" My confusion seemed to be growing as the night went on. "He was the last one with her." Amon's voice was dripping with amusement.

Asami's eyes narrowed: jealousy? I felt the same way. Jealousy tainted my heart; I could feel it like a thick, black tar hardening around the muscle with every beat. "No, I was. We went on a date tonight! We-"

"She doesn't love you, child. Your brother and your precious Korra are deceiving you." He was just trying to pen me against them. It couldn't be true. Why would she go on a date with me if she liked Mako? It was like his words were poison. I couldn't fight it away. My gaze turned to Asami once more, "Mako was with you tonight, right? Well, tell him! Tell him he's wrong." She let out a dry laugh. I could hear the venom on her tongue. "Our date ended around nine. I didn't meet back up with him until almost two." My stomach did a nervous flip.

"Do you still believe I'm wrong? I promise you. I heard every word." He was smiling behind his mask; I could hear it in his voice, "After hearing the way they spoke to each other, one would assume they were the ones in love… Where do you fall into that equation?" I stared at him for a moment without responding. My body was trembling with rage but I contained it. "Are you still willing to save her?" I stared at Amon in disbelief. I lowered my head, nodding slowly. Of course I would still fight to save her. He motioned for his followers to grab my arms as they pulled me up to my feet. "Smart choice." Amon turned away, leading us away. "Korra better be safe." I muttered. Amon chuckled.

At the beginning of this evening, I thought nothing could bring me down. Korra had fun with me, I know she did. I was happy when we were together. Why would Mako try to take that away from me? I glared at my brother's limp form thrown lazily over the chi-blockers shoulder. If it is true, what am I supposed to do? I felt broken and alone. It couldn't be. I wouldn't let it be. Asami had betrayed Mako; that fact was confirmed when Amon placed his hand on her shoulder in front of me as we walked. Would he really betray me the same way? I lowered my gaze to my shoes, watching my once dancing feet sag across the concrete. There were no clouds for me to skip across now. There was no music playing in my head for me to dance to. I couldn't even imagine the cocky grin Korra flashed me when I told her how amazing I thought she was without wanting to cry. My shoulders sagged. I began eavesdropping on Amon and Asami's conversation. He spoke in a strange octave that was hard to hear. But I heard a little of what was said, "…Finish tomorrow… something, something new speech… followers… State…" I rolled my eyes with a sigh: nothing relevant. "Korra, please be safe." My voice was low. I guess I was hoping if the wind caught my words in time, they would be rushed to the young girl and let her know I was going to save her.

4:33 AM

Korra's POV:

My blood curdling scream echoed off the four walls that held me prisoner. The chi-blocker assigned to food delivery that I faced off against what felt like days ago but could have only been a couple of hours prior to now, was back. I'm assuming he wanted revenge for being embarrassed in front of these judgmental walls, because he returned with anger as his accomplice. He woke me from my uncomfortable nightmares by forcing the back of his heel into my stomach. His fist nailed the side of my head; this is what made me open my eyes. I didn't speak, I didn't fight; something inside of me had snapped and broken. The spark within me had fizzled out in a puddle of self-pity and I had no intention of picking it up, allowing it to dry, and re-lighting it. It took a few hours of realization before the news of Mako's death finally sunk in. Mako was dead and I'm sure Bolin was gone as well. After all, why only kill one of my friends when you could destroy everything I have?

The man grabbed a handful of my hair. I growled under my breath. The man sneered. He was choking me now: hard. I couldn't even pretend it didn't hurt this time. I fought against my restraints, desperate to suck in that sweet, cool air once again. My head felt light and airy before he pulled away his hand. I sucked in a sharp breath right as a fit of coughs began to erupt from deep within my gut.

He grabbed my hair again with that uncaring touch of his, forcing me to meet his gaze. He was just smiling at me. He had taken off his mask before waking me up with my "kick" because the moment I woke up, I was staring into the eyes of a stranger. He had a hint of familiarity and it hadn't quite sunk in until now; while our eyes gazed into each other's. He leaned in, his lips puckering. I tried to fight but it was to no avail. What was my problem? I couldn't shake this shroud of worthlessness away. His lips met mine. The kiss was harsh and uncaring. My lips were like stone; I tightened them together, clenching my jaw so he wouldn't even think about trying to get entry. His hand was now running along my thigh; my body froze. I felt dirty and weak. This guy didn't even have a name worthy of knowing. It was a stranger. My heart was pounding. It was beating up my chest, trying to break free and kill the man itself.

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**Author's Note: Side Note: Fanfiction is going to be the reason I flunk out of college… haha I can't count how many times I've used having to finish a chapter (of FF) just to get out of reading or doing homework for class. So you better enjoy it!**

**Random Question:**

**Who else thinks Legend of Korra is one of those shows that should have an hour long slot instead of thirty minutes?**

**My ramblings: I just feel like the story line involves so many things that need to happen in a short amount of time… I don't know. Maybe I just think that because I hate waiting seven days for the new episode just for six commercials and a short portion of actual show time. -_-**

_**Leave me your thoughts. Please Review.**_

**-InconsciousSin.**


	9. Chapter 9: Break

**Author's Note**: Yes, yes. This took longer than the others and I'm sorry. I had to type it twice because the first time didn't save. So please don't be too upset with me, I was furious... Let's just say that... -_- Actually, _because _I knew I was going to have to completely rewrite this chapter I decided to take a break by writing the first chapter of Jealousy Wars.(: So if any of you have read that... You're welcome. That story would have never been started if it had not been for my crappy word document program. So thank you Windows!

Anyway, here it is. Please let me know how it sounds, any ideas, suggestions, etc.

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Chapter 9:

_Break_

3:30 AM

People were coming from their homes, rushing to the streets. Many were mumbling between yawns, others were rubbing away the sleep from their eyes as their feet drug across the ground. Once the sleep rose off of them, they were watching the plumes of smoke poof upwards into the already dark sky. They were all eyeing the burning inferno with shock and terror. Amon stepped up in front of the ashes that were once the epitome of bending: the pro-bending arena. "The authority of this city think war should be waged like they once did in the Middle Ages." He laughed, "I have no use for knights; I need revolutionaries. I need people with a vision and a dream. Come my friends. We must rise up against this oppression. "Crazy," "rebels," "weak," these are the titles the benders have blessed us with. They say these things because in reality we terrify them. But sadly, subtle dislike will not give balance to the world. This," He directed his arm towards the building that was almost completely shrouded in ash while the smoke continued dancing behind him in the mid-morning darkness. "This is what it must come to. My dream is evolving into a reality. I have already captured the Avatar if that shows the power of my dream. Let it be yours as well. Let us eliminate the benders and return the ownership of the elements back to the earth and the spirits. There will be no use fighting it. The era of bending is over." Amon's followers were cheering. Along either side of the streets, chi-blockers were standing at a halt surrounding the area. It was clear Amon's message was spreading. Almost every non-bender was either a chi-blocker monitoring the area for any rebellion among the crowd, or an excited member of the growing population in front of the remaining ashes.

Amon's arms were extended to the joyous crowd. "Tonight, get some rest. Sleep in peace knowing this city will soon be safe and equal. Tomorrow, I will demonstrate my true power as your leader. You'll know where to find us." He was grinning behind his mask listening to the non-benders surrounding him chant his name. His plan was coming full circle. Everything he had organized was actually working out flawlessly. Even his last minute switch up with leaving Mako alive turned out in his favor. He knew Asami wouldn't be able to kill him, even if he hadn't showed up, he highly doubted she would've done the job.

Blowing up the building was supposed to finish off the earth bender but he decided to use that mistake to his advantage as well. He could have a lot of fun with this love trio. His smile broadened. He bowed to the crowd before beginning his saunter back to where the Avatar and her fellow benders awaited his arrival. Dramatics was what made this take over so much fun. He could easily take over this weak minded city without such trivial actions as keeping that whiny earth bender alive, but this made it so much more entertaining. The chi-blockers followed close behind their leader. "When we arrive, make sure the building is secure and the doors are sealed. Did you inform Hiroshi of his orders?" One of the chi-blockers rushed up from where he was marching with the group to match pace with Amon. "Yes, sir. He was told what to do and the precise time. In fact, he should be working on it right now." Amon nodded, clearly pleased. "Good, I have some unfinished business with the Avatar." A smirk traced his hidden lips as he quickened his pace.

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3:35 AM

Bolin's POV:

"What'dya do to piss Asami off bad enough to want to kill you?"

Silence.

"Was she mad about something?"

I got a sigh in response.

"Was it because of Korra?"

Shocked glare. "Why would it be because of Korra?" Finally a response. I narrowed my eyes and my lips puckered as I stated, "You tell me, man." I couldn't shake the words Amon had spoken before. According to him, my brother was trying to get with the same girl I loved. Mako chuckled humorlessly. "I don't know what you're talking about." I was fuming and growing slightly impatient. "Do you love her?"

He looked at me, "What was that?" I could hear his heartbeat booming in his chest; it was true. While his heart panicked, mine came to a complete stop. "You love Korra… don't you?" He stared at me, his jaw was clenched. He looked almost angry that I was asking; there was still hope. Maybe his heartbeat was going nuts because he was upset I would even assume my brother, my only family, would go after the same girl I wanted. Then his gaze softened and the muscles in his jaw relaxed. His eyes looked gentle, "Bolin…"

Hot tears formed in my eyes. "Shut up!" I shook my head; betrayed. Where would I fit in to this love triangle? He didn't even have to say it. The way he said my name, as if he were a caring and concerned big brother, made me sick to even look at him. I couldn't meet his gaze as the tears began to trickle down my cheeks.

"I don't think this is the right time to talk about something so stupid. Let's just drop it."

I was sobbing now. "Where are we anyway?" He asked. I glared at him through my tears, "Amon and his creepy mask club brought us here." I stated between sobs. He didn't even care he had hurt me.

He glared back at me. "You let Amon capture us? What the hell?"

"He said if I did what he wanted, he wouldn't hurt Korra." Even saying her name made my chest ache. "You trusted him?" Mako was speaking to me as if I were a silly child. I choked back another sob, "He's a lot more trustworthy than you, _brother. _Or should I call you a brother _betrayer?"_ My words were icy and I could tell he was shocked by the harshness of my tone. His eyes looked sympathetic now. He was silent, just watching me wipe tears from my cheek on my shoulder. "Bolin, stop. I don't want Korra. She's all yours. After we save her, I'll back off." The way he spoke was strained. My crying was hysterical now. He was lying. Even if he really did back off, how would that make me feel? It would make me feel terrible. It would make me feel like I only won because my competition didn't show up to the tournament. "No! You're a traitor! You're no better than your girlfriend!"

He stared at me with sadness etched into his features. "But I haven't even done anything. Why are you so upset?" My sobs were slowing. "Amon told me you were the last one with Korra before Amon got her." Mako's eyes widened. He was clearly shocked Amon knew this much information. He looked away, lost in thought. I could still hear his heartbeat as it bounced against his ribs. My eyes fell to the wound at his side. On the way to where ever it is we are now, Amon told Asami to treat the cut; she did. Mako was still sleeping by the time she had finished, so I don't even think Mako realized there was now a wrap around his torso to stop the bleeding. I still didn't know what had happened between Asami and Mako but if he treated her the same way he does his own brother, I could see why she wanted to hurt him.

He let out a single chuckle. "I was just telling her not to hurt you. I was trying to look out for you." I didn't reply. "What else did Amon say?" I didn't speak yet again. My teeth were gnawing into the inside of my cheek. He shook his head slowly, chuckling without humor. He continued, "The girl I was with decided to stab me. I don't think I'm going to be looking for anyone else for quite a while. " I could see the hurt now blatantly evident in his eyes. He finally noticed the wrap around his torso and smiled. His hesitant eyes slowly made their ascent back to mine. We stared at each other in the darkness of them room as if we were strangers.

The sobs were still coming but they were slowing. "Are," Hiccup, "We going to be okay?" Mako smiled. "Of course we are. We're brothers. We'll get through this, alright?" His voice was soothing and calm. I broke our stare, now examining the boring, grey floor as if there was something interesting hidden beneath it. I knew I was too soft. Even if my brother were to have a crush on the same girl as me, I could never hate him. But questions began unscrambling in my head. I felt so out of the loop; even Amon knew more about what was going on in both my brother and Korra's lives than I did. I couldn't resist. "So... how does she feel about you?" I could sense the tension growing between us. I dared not look up to see his expression because I knew, even without him speaking; I would get every answer I didn't want to hear just by his eyes. Mako didn't speak for a long time. I snuck a glance at him to find his eyes had found the uninteresting cement floor as well. He was frowning, obviously lost in thought. "I'm sure she doesn't want anything to do with me."

* * *

Mako's POV:

From the moment I opened my eyes, Bolin was glaring at me. My head was pounding like a hangover and my eye lids felt heavy. It took me a few minutes to regain the knowledge of that night. I wanted to laugh remembering that Bolin thought I was drunk when in reality my girlfriend drugged me. I assumed that was why he was so angry but I soon found out that wasn't even a concern.

I straightened up with a groan to find my hands were behind my back in metal handcuffs. I looked at Bolin and noticed his hands tucked behind his back as well. The look my little brother was giving me reminded me of the expression I wore when finding out my girlfriend was trying to kill me. I stared back, jiggling the cuffs to no avail. The room we were in looked like a storage closet. My legs were crossed in front of me but my knees were still touching Bolin's. We stared at each other for what felt like an hour before he finally began questioning me. What was I suppose to say? 'Yeah, bro, you're right. Korra told me she wanted to be with me last night after her date with you. What? No, I don't want to be with her! I have a perfectly _killer _girlfriend already.' I let out a long, slow sigh. There had to be other things to think about. I blinked a few times to force the image of Korra from my eye lids, thinking back to Asami's betrayal. Amon's plan apparently involved the two of us considering Asami intended on ending my life but didn't follow through.

My brother's voice drew me back from my thoughts. His final question about Korra's feelings set me back. I was glad he avoided looking at me because if he had, I knew it would break his heart. Korra admitted how she felt. I would be lying if I said otherwise, but after turning her down and abandoning her in the middle of a dark street with a broken heart, I highly doubt she had any feelings for me other than hatred. I couldn't think about this anymore: Korra, feelings, none of it, especially while sitting snug against three walls and the brother that loved her.

I tugged on the chains binding me as hard as I could but it was no use. My fist settled into an open palm. I held one of the cuffs with one hand while slowly trying to pull my flattened hand out. "Damn," I muttered under my breath when this plan failed as well. The cuffs were tight. They were cutting into my wrists. I don't know why I thought it would work, but I figured at least it gave me something to concentrate on other than my heart broken little brother. I could still hear his gentle sobs while I fought against my restraints. He wasn't helping; I growled. "Bolin! Pull yourself together! We have bigger issues to worry about right now besides some girl. Did you see where they brought us?" My voice was louder than I had intended but Bolin quickly recomposed himself with a sniffle. He glanced around the box-sized room with a shrug. "Uh-uh." My eye twitched. Either I was low on potassium or I was growing extremely irritated: I assume it was the latter of the two.

I located the door beside us and began ramming my shoulder against it with full force. "Hey!" I leaned against the opposing wall before ramming the door once again. "Hey, asshole!" Bolin watched me with wide eyes. I ignored him. It was a challenge, but I decided to try kicking the door. My knee hit Bolin in the face. I twisted my body around until my head was against Bolin's chest. A sharp pain shot from my injured side and I could feel it begin to bleed. Fighting through the pain, I slid in a circle on my butt until the soles of my feet were against the metal door; this was a terrible idea. I didn't even have enough room to pull my leg back to attempt an attack. I looked up and noted that the ceiling was too low to stand up for an attack.

I forced a ball of fire from my foot at our only exit but clearly nothing happened. It left a black film in the corner where the brunt of my attack hit but that was it. I tried again to no avail. Bolin had no room to attempt anything and he couldn't bend metal. A loud yell erupted from my lips in frustration. "Damn it!" My foot repeatedly kicked the door as an outlet for my rage; it was more like a tap since my leg couldn't extend any farther than where it was. I yelled once more. My head hit the wall behind me in defeat. I stared up at the dull ceiling. We didn't even have a light. It was pitch black in here besides the small silhouette of light echoing from the thin crack beneath the door.

Bolin was still staring at me but he was wincing. I narrowed my eyes at him realizing one of my knees was deep in his gut. I rotated my body, accidentally kicking him in the face again, "Sorry!" I stated before finally readjusting myself back into the cross-legged position I had initially been placed in. While I was uttering slurs under my breath, Bolin was staring at the charred door with those same upset eyes. I frowned. Seeing my innocent, sweet brother so upset made me sad; especially since I was the reason he was so down. With my brother so upset while knee-to-knee with me in this tiny, compact space, I couldn't believe where my mind decided to drift: _Korra. _Where could she be? Was she safe? Something in my gut told me I didn't want to know. Asami had said they couldn't kill her. If they did, she would only be reincarnated. My frown depended. The Avatar will continue to be brought back to life over and over again, but the next one will not be Korra. If they do kill her, Korra will be gone and a new personality will take her place. The idea was infuriating. No, she had to be alive. If she wasn't, we wouldn't be either. I took in a shaky breath and then I lowered my head allowing my hair to mask my face in the darkness. Thinking about Korra would not benefit anyone. She could handle herself. She's the only person I've ever met that never gives up. Even in the face of fear, she has always been strong, or she at least knows how to put on a fearless demeanor. I didn't think my frown could fall any further towards my chin until this thought crossed my mind: she is all alone. Amon is insane and clearly good with words if he can rally an entire city against the benders that once swore to protect them and work in harmony with them within a week. My eyes blinked heavily. I was still exhausted. It was as if the drug's effects still hadn't lifted from me. Closing my eyes wasn't helping me fall asleep and about now I began wondering if the sandman even made trips to closets.

* * *

4:30 AM

I think I fell asleep because I was startled awake by my own snoring followed by a loud "click!" The door moaned as it was forced open and a new air wafted in along with a bright array of light. Two heavy footsteps marched closer inside. "Alright fire bender, time to go." I could hear the jangling of keys against his belt. My eyes opened but I didn't make any movement to show I would oblige. I narrowed my eyes, staring at my legs. "Go where?" My shoulders remained slouched. I couldn't tell if Bolin were awake or just not speaking. The unfamiliar voice cackled, "You're coming with me." I didn't even look up. A hand reached out for me but I ducked, launching my heel at the man's shin. He stumbled. His hand flew to the side of his belt pulling out an electrocution device in the shape of a stick. The back of my heel hit the opposing wall as momentum. "Is that all you got?" I was sick of these freaks and their cheap weapons. I thrust my entire body at the man before he had a chance to shock me. We both flew into the wall on the other side of the hallway with a boom. A puff of air escaped from his lungs from the impact followed by a string of slurs. I glanced back at the open door we had been held captive in all night; it was a legit closet. I rolled my eyes,_ 'there must have been some budget cuts,'_ I thought with a grin.

Bolin was on his knees leaning out of the door. He was staring at me as if waiting for permission to come out. I nodded my head and he quickly scurried to his feet. I glanced down at the man I was still sitting on. My hand searched his belt for the keys. He tried to grab me when my elbow nailed him in the jaw. I unhooked the keys from his belt loop then leapt off the man. Within moments we were rushing down the unknown hallway. "The prisoners have escaped! Lock down!" The man I had just forced into the wall shouted. He was holding his stomach in pain, staggering to his feet. I glanced back over my shoulder and saw that he was now in pursuit. I turned my attention back in the direction we were running to see the end of the hallway blocked. We had hardly made it ten steps from the closet and they were already on our asses. I growled under my breath, this was just great. I tugged on one of my hands, forgetting that our hands were still tied behind our backs. One of the chi-blockers jumped forward, noticing my distraction, he forced his palm at me. I took a few steps backwards, tripping over Bolin, who was somehow behind me. The attack missed. I eyed the chi-blockers and noted that each of them were wearing some strange contraption on their hands. It was shrouded in a bright, blue lightening like an electric force field. A second chi-blocker shot at me from the side. I ducked before I jumped into the air, spinning around, about to shoot out a fire whip at the surrounding chi-blockers. That's when I heard the worst, heart-wrenching sound to ever befall my ears. It was the far off sound of a terrified girl's panicked screams. Bolin and I looked at each other with our matching mugs of worry. I swallowed the lump that had begun taking shape in the depth of my throat. Bolin shook his head as if in disbelief. At first, I assumed I was just hearing things or that I was going nuts. I even tried convincing myself it was an after-effect of the drugs my _beloved girlfriend _gifted me with hours ago. fake or not, the mere sound of such fear made me feel light and sick. However, I knew what I thought I heard was real when I took a few hesitant steps backwards, watching the rage dance in my brother's eyes. He rushed at the chi-blockers, forcing his heel down onto the ground. Then I heard him whisper in that raspy, just-woken-up voice of his, "Hold on, Korra."

* * *

4:32 AM

Korra's POV:

I was strong, fearless, witty, reckless; many people complained about my traits, but I held them high and proud. If I had some crazy shield, I would print the very words that described me on it in big blue letters. I liked who I was. Sure, it got me into a lot of trouble, even on my first day in Republic City my behavior got me arrested. And sure, Mako didn't want me, he preferred the calm, thoughtful, rich girl Asami over me, but that's okay now. I miss who I was. Ever since Amon trapped me by digging his poisonous claws into me, I haven't been able to wiggle away; I haven't been able to release his hold. It was like being in this very room drained the life from me. I had no fight, I had no witty comebacks for those that came to mess with me: I had nothing. If I were to see Amon right now, I would laugh before waving my little white flag in defeat. This was a pointless war. If the people wanted equality, fine. They would regret it in the end when the chi-blockers had all of the power and everyone bowed to Amon. _Those_ were cruel people; benders were not. We were not to blame so why did they blame us? If it wasn't for benders, Republic City wouldn't even be here! While on the subject of my predecessor, I can never stop myself from wondering how Aang would have solved such a problem. Then I always have to roll my eyes remembering he was a monk: peace was always the answer. It's strange to think he is a part of me. I'm nothing like the stories I've heard about him. Especially right now, tied up, captive, and weak. I was at the mercy of this stranger. Unlike Aang, I didn't feel like a flower, I'm assuming that's what he was telling me in all of those repetitive dreams about him and that stupid white lilac: peaceful, calm, strong... honestly I have no idea what it could mean but it makes sense. Monks are always meditating, flowers are always just... hanging out. I shook my head back and forth; lack of nutrients was making my thoughts process in an off-kilter method.

Tears threatened to soak through the barrier I tried so hard to build up behind my eyes to keep them at bay. Hot lips ran along the edge of my ear. Angry teeth gnawed into the skin there; I bit my lower lip, refusing to scream. I tried distracting my mind away from the stranger's traveling hands as they explored various parts of my body, by observing things around the room. The room was dark. Where was the window? No light shone in from the small square that once relieved me with a healthy light and as my eyes squinted to see the cause, I found that someone piled up books or something to block the glass. The light was off but there was a rectangular ray of light behind the man's back. There wasn't time to examine this oddity because a rough hand cuffed my chin, forcing me to turn my attention back to the stranger. He had shaggy onyx hair. One side of his face was shrouded in mystery due to the abnormal shadows in the room. The other side held a turned up lip and a narrowed eye. I quickly looked away at the sound of a loud 'rip.'

The sound was that of my shirt tearing; it made me cringe. I couldn't meet his gaze. I had already seen the hunger in his eyes once. Now that my skin was exposed, I dared not see the demonic look he held. Harsh lips crushed against the nape of my neck. I fought back the degrading tears that begged for mercy behind my eyes. A loud scream in pain betrayed my lips as his teeth sunk into my neck. I pulled away but luckily the wall was there to prevent any such action. His arm snaked around my lower back, tugging me closer. I looked over his head and noticed he had left the door wide open. Why hadn't I noticed before? Way to go Korra, maybe it's because you're restrained to a wall and couldn't run even if you _had _noticed it. The sliver of hope that had suddenly consumed me vanished as quickly as it came. There wasn't much I could do to force this crazed man away, but with the large metal door wide open, I decided to take my chance. I didn't want to give this man the satisfaction of my screams or seeing my fear, but there was no other option. I would rather put up a little bit of a fight versus just sitting here waiting for him to be done with me like a rag doll.

I began screaming, yelling, shouting, anything to draw attention into the room. My legs sprawled out, lashing in every direction to no avail. Even facing Amon and his wrath would be better than this. I pulled my legs into my chest and forced my knees into the man's torso. He was pushed back far enough to release his hold around my waist but this act seemed to only make him want it more. A devious smirk touched his already sinister features. He grabbed my throat, tightening his grip to halt my cries for help. My body was visibly trembling. I closed my eyes, praying he would stop. I couldn't feel the trembling now, my body was going numb. I needed to breathe, he had to let go. Panic struck me; I was going to die. At the hands of an unknown stranger, I was going to die. It felt hot. Heat was rising around us. That dream: flames, the burning house, the tortured child, that stainless flower, the memory of those haunting nightmares consumed me. If I didn't have a hand clenching my throat closed, I would be screaming right now. I choked out the word, "Please," Then mouthed "Stop." But he merely smirked at me, tightening his grasp. I then mouthed, "Asshole."

I couldn't stop this aching fear growing inside of me. His fingers were tracing the outline of my breast down my stomach at a painfully slow pace. I shivered under his touch. He then ran those same fingers along my inner thigh before tugging at the only material left to protect my innocence. This is never how I imagined it happening. I know it sounds childish, but I always thought about Mako being my first. Or if anything the man I love. Not some randomized stranger that just so happened to have a grudge against me because I wasn't afraid of him during our first encounter. Well, at least he still didn't have _his_ wish. Sure, when it was happening, when the very life was being choked out of me, or when I was designated the punching bag for his cruel fists and their rage then yes, I was terrified. But now? Now that my body was trembling from the remaining shock pulsing through my veins like electricity and every inch of muscle coating these bones was limp and my heart was weak and lifeless, I felt nothing. Even if he were to return for seconds, I wouldn't struggle. I would just wait for the inevitable to be over so that I could suffer in isolation and sweet silence afterwards.

The material between my legs tore. I could feel when he tugged at it like a drunken monster in the night, torturing a defenseless victim. I tightened my knees together as tightly as I could but this made the hand wrapped around my neck to squeeze. This is it. I'm dead. I fought for my crushed channels to expand, drawing in the necessary oxygen my lungs so desired, but of course, they could not obey. My eyes shut; I was going to be sick. Suddenly, the stranger coughed. Tears finally broke through my weakened barrier the moment I felt an unknown liquid splatter my bruising face. He groaned. He tightened his grip on my neck until my body went completely limp. Then, he finally released me. My lungs expanded, forcing the air back into my lungs. I was gasping through the second fit of uncontrollable coughs. I finally opened my eyes. Blood was dripping from the corner of the man's mouth. His eyes were wide with shock and his lips were agape. My eyes slowly left his, working their way down to his chest where the crimson pain must have begun. The warm liquid on my cheek was blood. I tucked my knees into my chest, staring at the man. Anger consumed him. I was trembling once again.

"Keep your fucking hands away from her." The trembling stopped. My heart fluttered wildly in my chest. I was saved. Air continued rushing to my lungs as if it was going to be choked out of me again if I didn't breathe in enough. His voice was deep, the anger and jealousy was evident in every syllable. I stared up at him in disbelief. It couldn't be. I was no longer alone with this no-named madman. I wasn't alone. Could this even be real? There was no way I was still alive. There could be no way I still had my innocence. I blinked three quick times but he was still there. I shook my head wildly, and he wasn't disappearing. Was this a dream?

* * *

**Author's Note**: Let me know(:

-InconsciousSin.


	10. Chapter 10: The Rescue

**Author's Note**: Sorry this took so long to update! My summer classes have just started up and I work full time so I haven't had much free time. Anyway, I'm exhausted so here it is...

By the way, thank you all so, so, so much for the reviews! You guys are amazing. (: I can't stop smiling every time I see your kind words and it really motivated me to stay up all night to write this even though I have to wake up tomorrow morning at 6. So, please let me know what you think!

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Chapter 10:

_The Rescue_

The city had an odd sense of emptiness hanging over it. The Equalists didn't miss this subtle difference in the shifting air because they were at fault for its sudden disappearance; however, those not in favor of Amon's movement along with the remaining benders around the city could feel this uneasiness greatly. They were missing something vital, something important. The thing they were missing was all locked up, away from the world they were supposed to be protecting. They were shivering, starving, staring with their big blank eyes into the darkness of the over cramped cell they now called home. No one was making a sound, they were too frightened. Worry was etched into their shadowy faces, their eyes examining those surrounding them for any sign of hope or calm to ease their fear; they sought for what was no longer real. The growing sound of slow, leisurely heels echoed against the floor on the other side of the door. All in the room held their breath, one gulped; others began shifting their weight away from the sound. The soft blur of muffled voices grew closer before dying down again as the free men passed. Almost every one released the breath they were holding at the same moment, disturbing the suspenseful silence that had overtaken them.

When they were first being forced into this cell, they all chuckled and laughed, mocking the chi-blockers for believing such a room could hold them for long; making obvious comments about how dumb it was for them to all be placed in one room together without anyone assuming they would be able to escape. That was before they had been without food, water, or the mere luxury of light for what they believed to be days. There was no room, not even enough for their lungs to fully expand with every breath. Each person was nuzzled closely to everyone around them, or stuck between their fellow comrades and the cold walls. This was not the only cell housing the former authority of Republic City. Tarrlok and the other councilmen were all in their own individual cells, each designed from the inside out to be indestructible against their own elements. There also had to be at least three or four more rooms imprisoning the rest of the officers because this room was only big enough to hold six. They were all forced to stand, but when this grew too tiring they would attempt to sit and rest which always ended with them taking turns. All of the screams and rebellion had washed away after the first nineteen hours of nonstop anger and action; they had tried beating the doors, bending the doors and walls, ramming it, everything. Hours of this consistent behavior grew tiring; the metal-benders were now weary and forlorn. What was becoming of the precious city they had vowed to protect? Amon's rebel forces had organized a surprise attack, somehow overpowering the several separated groups on patrol, rounding them up like cow hippos, and dragging them back to this dump as prisoners. There was no hope left in this small, silent dungeon. There was nothing. Amon was good at that; stripping away every emotion and every calloused dream held by an individual, even a mass group like this, and leaving them with despair and helplessness in his wake. The only hope this city had left was the remaining benders that would be brave enough to stand tall and fight back against this revolution, and of course, their greatest hope, the Avatar.

* * *

Korra's POV:

_Katara's fragile, hunched frame made its slow creep over to the bed. I was hopping up and down in front of her, flashing a photograph I had found of her and Aang. My little, chubby fingers released the frame in the crippling woman's lap as she settled into place. A soft chuckle left her lips. The way she cradled the picture between her palms, her eyes examining the contours of every detail, it showed her passion and love for the long lost people she had by now outlived. Her index finger ran down the image of the matured air bender in the photo. "Tell me about him," I was young and had a difficult time giving my full-fledged attention to one specific topic for too long, but this was one conversation I would always remember. My former self, the being in which I conquered all elements before saving the world alongside his friends, the last air bender: Aang. He was a part of me and yet I knew very little about him. I still remember how her eyes never left the face in the picture even while she spoke to me. _

_Her voice was low but thoughtful, as if she were reliving her life all over again. "This picture was taken in the fire bending nation when we went to visit Zuk- I mean Fire Lord Zuko. Aang looks so young…" She stroked the man's cheek with her thumb before I threw my stomach at the edge of the bed, scurrying up the sheets with my fingers to sit beside the elder woman. I stared down at the bald man in the photograph and wrinkled my nose. "So that was me?" Katara's beautiful, withering chuckle escaped her lips, "In a way, yes." I already knew Katara was the former Avatar's soul mate, my mother use to always read me books about Aang as well, but I never heard about him from someone that actually knew him in the flesh. "I was bald?" She nodded in silence, reminiscing while I sat here in the present. I kicked my legs, my palms hidden between my thighs and the sheets. "I guess I was kinda pretty… for a boy." The elder woman laughed, "You were also very strong and brave." _

_Katara finally tore her gaze from the man she must miss dearly, to face me. The skin around her eyes crinkled with her happy grin, "Korra, you are going to face many challenges in your life. You're going to be told you aren't capable of the power that is so rightly yours. Many will try to harm you or worse. But just remember, you are the Avatar. There is no one on this planet that has the power you possess." I stared up at her, not quite understanding what she was trying to tell me. She rested a hand against my back, "Many believed Aang would not succeed but in the end, he proved everyone wrong." I raised an eyebrow at her but she continued, her hand now lightly ruffling my hair, "When the time comes, I believe you can save the world, your enemy has just not succumb to publicity yet." I stared at her with my big, blank eyes while they blinked rapidly. I grimaced before shaking my head, "I don't get it." _

_She giggled, kissing my forehead. "Whoever it is that will threaten the balance has not come out and publicly done anything yet. It will happen again though, one dreadful day. There's always someone, power-hungry and greedy, that will attempt to disrupt the balance between the four nations. Luckily, the world has been relatively peaceful since Aang…" She looked away, staring off into the nothingness across the shadowy room, clearly unable to process the knowledge that her longtime friend and partner was dead even though he had been gone for years now. __This time I placed a hand on her back and smiled. "I wish I could have met him." It was true. If I could have met him and trained with him, and learned from all of his mistakes, this Avatar thing would be a breeze. Her wrinkles crumpled together in that pretty, old lady grin at my words. "You will. It may not be physically, but one day, you will." _

_My eyebrows furrowed and I shrugged the words away, not bothering to unravel their meaning in my young, naïve state. I leapt from the bed, causing Katara's balance to falter slightly due to my sudden movement. I threw my fists into the air while my legs spread wider into a pathetic stance. "I am the Avatar! No one can beat me!" Fire shot from my fists as I stomped around in circles reciting my new promise in that loud, confident bubble of a voice. _If only I had asked what she meant. If only I had taken her words to heart. I may not have considered our conversation to be meaningful, but a part of me had stored this tale away in the deepest corners of my subconscious for future use. If I had only pried into her words so many years ago, maybe I would have already mastered air bending and conquered the Spirit world. I would have finally met my former self and understood what needed to be done to bring the world, or at least this city, peace once again. Instead, I behaved like the child I was, pretending to be some ferocious Avatar beast, and completely forgetting the entire conversation and its relevance; until now.

Why was this random memory flooding my brain like a dry pale thrown into a well? Easy! Because I'm staring at him right now. I shook my head wildly from side to side. Was this a dream? It had to be. Just as Katara said, there was no possible way to see Aang in person since he was dead, if he weren't, I wouldn't even exist. And yet, here he was. Had he saved me from this psychotic chi-blocker? I know I've seen him a few times before, glimpses, but they were always faded or blurry, nothing like this. I could feel him there with me. "Keep your fucking hands away from her." The voice had sounded like Mako's, sending my heart into a fluttering fit of excitement and overjoy. To my dismay, however, I saw no Mako. Of course, I couldn't take my eyes off of the air bending stranger before me, so even if he had been present, I wouldn't know.

My jaw was agape, my eyes wide as I stared at the bald man with those gentle, caring eyes. He looked just as he had in that picture of Katara's, only a little older. I wasn't blinking. It was as if his mere gaze had shut off my brain. "Korra," The instant he spoke all motivation returned, forcing my eyes to bat rapidly while the sticky liquid film formed back over my bloodshot irises. My mouth snapped shut. A soft smile touched his lips. "We finally meet, hm?" His voice was deeper than I imagined it to be. The tone was similar to that of Tenzin's: fatherly, kind. I nodded slowly. I wanted to survey our surroundings, knowing there was no way I was still in Amon's dirty cell, strapped to the wall like a guilty prisoner, but I couldn't break our stare. This man held an overwhelming sense of calm that draped around me like a veil. He took a few graceful steps towards me. As he approached, his smile was fading and was slowly replaced by a deepening frown. "You're giving up? You have such a strong spirit. Confident, powerful Korra… where is she?" It was as if my journey thus far was reflecting like the open chapters of a book for him, flipped to the exact pages that ratted me out for being a failure.

I finally broke our gaze but merely stared down at my filth covered knees. "I don't know what to do. Mako is…" _Dead. _Even though I hadn't spoken the word it resonated in my ears as if the word spoke itself, causing me to jump. I continued, "Asami and Bolin are probably out there all alone and confused… the city is in peril and I can do nothing to stop it." His gentle palm rested on my right shoulder. I closed my eyes too afraid to meet his gaze. I'm a failure of an Avatar while this man saved the entire world, mastered every element, built this city from the ground up, and he even won the girl of his dreams. He lived a fulfilling life and for what? To pass on his glorious title to me; the Avatar that didn't even put up a fight before getting captured and the girl that couldn't even save her friends from the cold grips of death.

"Don't give up. Fight back. Many will try to harm you or worse but just remember you are the Avatar. There is no one on this planet that has the power you possess." The words he spoke were the same from my memory of Katara and the child version of me. Were those the words Katara spoke to Aang when he was ready to give up? I smiled before I felt something soft tickling my thigh. I slowly opened my eyes to find that familiar white lilac resting there. My blue eyes widened as my eyebrows collapsed. "Why do you keep showing me this?"

Silence. "Gah!" I growled loudly. He was gone; he always decided to disappear at the worst times. Air benders and their stupid flowers and peace and subliminal messages that make no sense… It was starting to grow extremely annoying that water came after air in the Avatar cycle. I didn't have much time to think before reality pulled me back from my illusions.

I closed my eyes tightly, opening them slowly to face the demon and my unknown rescuer. My jaw fell open once more. Sure, Aang's sudden _appearance_ had caught me off guard, but this was something I was completely unprepared for. The heat in the room had a source. His fists were invisible behind the burning fire sizzling around them. Those fury filled topaz eyes I thought had dulled with death were now more alive than ever and only a few feet away. "Wh-what..?" I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. He looked even more handsome than I remembered. I shook my head from side to side before chancing a second glance at the man I assumed would disappear in a puff of smoke. Now I knew I had to be going nuts. Had I really fallen asleep? Was Aang just a dream? There was no way after my terrifying experience and even more shocking rescue that I just passed out to have a little nap. I must be going insane. My knees tightened together as I dropped my gaze to my filthy thighs where those flawless petals had laid only minutes ago but had now vanished just as my past life had. Was it even real? I let out a haggard sigh and then looked back up at the man whose jaw line was flexed with tension. He wasn't looking at me at first, but now his eyes met mine and a shot of electricity seemed to shoot from my cheeks down to my toes.

* * *

Mako's POV:

Lately, my plans never seemed to play out how I initially intend for them to. Something always seems to get in the way or compromise the outcome. That pained scream had stopped, but it felt as if it were still resonating against my ear drums, leading me down the hallway towards the direction in which it came from. My pace quickened. Something wasn't right. _Korra, _I thought. She had to be okay, she's the Avatar.

Up ahead on my path was an open door that a black-suited ninja-like figure stood in front of. The person was dressed somewhat differently than the others; tight onyx pants, black boots, a loose black sweater-like top, and of course, like all of the other freaks around here; he wore a mask to hide his face. He was shutting the door and I could hear the intensity from the oversized lock as he slammed it downward. Was there some kind of creature hidden behind there? The lock was intimidating enough to scare away an intruder, let alone what may be on the other side. "Where is she?" I shouted to the stranger now only inches in front of me. My tone was harsh. I slowed my stride to a walk until I was almost face to face with the figure. The man took a few steps away towards the far wall. He was just standing there, as if daring me to go near the door; I accepted his challenge. He was just watching me while I began to tug on the handle to the door. It was to no avail. So finally, I just began hurling balls of fire at the unusual metal which, just like the door to the closet Bolin and I were held in, did nothing but singe it.

I decided to try the handle again. There was no way this tiny ninja-thing was able to close it with such ease while I couldn't even move it an inch. I gripped the handle with both palms, fingers gripping it tightly. I forced one of my heels against the doorframe, the other foot rested below my grasp for balance. It took everything I had to get the stupid thing to even budge. I let go, my hands falling to my knees while I caught my breath. What if Korra wasn't even in here? What if Amon was just wasting my time on purpose, allowing me to search through this hell for Korra to buy himself some time? What if she wasn't even in this building? No, she had to be. I couldn't let that sliver of hope in the back of my mind, letting me know she had to be safe. I took in a deep breath, releasing it calmly. She had to be in here.

My gaze turned from the floor to the figure I assume to be a chi-blocker now leaning against the wall. His arms were crossed while he stared at me. The mask he wore shown no emotion but something told me this freak was amused. "What are you staring at?" The shaky tone in my voice showed my pure irritation and growing worry. He didn't even move. A snarl left my lips in annoyance. I directed an irritated finger at the door handle, "Open this door, now!" The figure continued to stand. This person was still as a statue, showing no sign of life until it finally pushed itself away from the wall, gliding over to step between the door and myself. The way he walked seemed all too familiar but I tried to concentrate on the mission: rescue the Avatar. The figure reached in his pocket, digging around for something. I had an impatient eyebrow raised at him and right as I was about to comment on the unnecessarily long venture his fingers were having with the inside of his pants pocket, he pulled out a small key. An invisible blush of embarrassment threatened my cheeks as I imagined how idiotic I must have looked. He stuck the key in the little hole below the handle which I hadn't paid enough attention beforehand to notice, and then he yanked up with ease on the handle. The door creaked and moaned with obvious age and lack of care before swinging open.

This was like a dream, or more like a night terror. My feet carried me into the dark, drear cement room. Everything was shrouded in shadows. I glanced to the side and noticed the small missing square of the gray enclosure that I assumed was once a window, but was now covered up with something. I heard a disgusting sound accompanied by the soft cries of a terrified girl. My eyes immediately flew to the source. Heat rose in my stomach followed by a nauseating, acidic dance. The site before me was enough to send me over the edge. There was a black figure without a mask to hide his worthless face. His perverted hand was in places it should be cut off for even thinking about touching on this innocent girl. His opposing palm was against her neck, choking the life out of her. My heart dropped to the floor as the aura of heat thickened around me. I could feel the sting of bile rising up in the back of my throat at how disgusted I was.

Without even thinking, fire washed over my body. I forced my burning hand into the stranger's back with full force. "Keep your fucking hands away from her." My voice echoed the control my mind was lacking. I was usually in control, I rarely allowed myself to let loose and absentmindedly react to situations. This one, however, was something I couldn't seem to manage with simple breathing exercises or by closing my eyes. I heard the man's wet cough, specks of blood shot out of his mouth like mini projectiles at Korra's face. She opened her eyes, staring at the stranger as his grasp loosened around her neck and he pulled away, now gripping at his chest. Her eyes were still open but she was staring off at the wall as if something magical were hidden behind it. My body was shaking. I tore my gaze from the girl that hadn't even seemed to notice that she was no longer in the close grasp of death, and I glared down at the man with pure hatred. I had to regain control before these dark walls decided to be painted with the blood of this pervert. My teeth snapped together, grinding against one another while I sucked in a sharp breath.

"Wh-what?" I heard Korra's soft voice, but knew if I saw the condition she was in, I would have no chance in the fight to spare this man his life. I heard her sigh and finally decided to look at her. This was a huge mistake. My heart rate doubled in speed. My eyes examined the once strong, beautiful girl that now made me picture a far younger Korra; a young, little, and terrified Korra that was afraid of the reptile birds hiding underneath her bed. She looked so… pathetic. I had never seen this strong spirited girl in such a low state. Her eyes looked empty, shallow. Her knees were clenched together. Her entire body was trembling like a bitter cool breeze was blowing by; unfortunately, this wasn't the case. The room had a slight chill to it, sure, but I still found it to be warm and this girl was from the Southern Water Tribe. There's no way it was cold in here to her and not to me. The evidence of her many sleepless nights had manifested into dark circles beneath her eyes. On either side of her temples was thick bruising or just an extension of the dark markings beneath her glossy pools of blue. Her face was covered in so much dirt and grime that she looked nearly invisible against the darkness of the room. I took a hesitant step towards her. Even though she was beaten and battered, I still couldn't shake the thought of how beautiful she was. _What is wrong with you? _My eyes journeyed over her once more, avoiding those big azure eyes. Her arms were latched above her head to some strange metal contraption. Her legs were covered in dust and dirt from the floor. Her shirt was torn from the neckline down to her chest bone; nothing too revealing was showing, but there were bruises on her chest and along her arms along with bite marks tainting the side of her neck. I could see an outline of what looked like misshapen fingers around her neck from the stranger's unforgiving grasp. Her once flawless skin was covered in those hideous purple bruises and scratches. Had this random chi-blocker done all of this damage? I quickly forced my gaze to the floor. This was too much to handle. It was one thing to assume her life had been threatened by Amon and his gang of psychos, but this? Sparks licked at my thighs as fire suddenly shrouded my fists in flames.

A cackle left the stranger's lips: he was obviously looking for a fight. His free hand fell to his knee to steady himself until he could stagger back up to his feet. "So, you're the fire bender, eh?" I lifted my head. He winced, I'm assuming because of the fresh burn on his back. I didn't even both to respond, I just continued trying to calm my thoughts. My nails were digging into my palms while the knuckles of my hands were white from how tightly clenched they were.

This guy was a freak and a waste of life. I took a step towards him, allowing my weight to balance on the toes of one foot. I held out my hand with an upward-facing open palm. A bright flame was now glowing between my fingertips.

"She's a sexy little thing, that's for sure."

My heart stopped. "Shut your mouth." The words sound demonic coming from my jealous lips. He took a few steps towards me, this made my jaw tense. Oh how foolish he was. His voice was low now and I knew he was just trying to get under my skin.

"Have you ever made her scream?"

My blood began to boil. My eyes shot open, staring blankly at the floor ahead. I didn't reply.

"In pain, of course." He let out a single chuckle after he spoke, as if the idea of an innocent girl's pain was amusing, "I already know you haven't _done _anything with her yet."

My eyes narrowed at him while his gaze fell to Korra. I followed his gaze, watching the girl tug at her restraints. He let out a light laugh to avoid further hurting his already injured chest.

My knuckles were pale and my fingertips were numb from the tight fists they had become. I took in a few deep breaths, releasing them in a repetitive and rhythmic method. I had to calm down. _Focus Mako,_ I thought, _Korra needs you. Forget this jerk. Besides, he's probably just full of shit anyway. You got here just in time, remember? _My breathing was back to normal and the blood in my veins no longer burned. I kept my eyes closed, taking in a breath through my nose and letting it out slowly between my lips. I began walking away from him, turning my stride towards the girl that needed me when he let out another psychotic cackle.

"I fucked your girl." He's dead. He's going to suffer. He's going to scream. He's going to die. My shoulders tightened, my heart was on fire just as the rest of me burned up into ashes. Hatred and rage consumed me. I used my outstretched foot, forcing all of my weight into my toes as I spun to face the creep, thrusting my flaming leg outwards towards him. He jumped backwards with a flip, landing slightly off kilter due to his wound; he stumbled but steadied himself. I was seeing red. I couldn't control myself. This has never happened before; I've always done so well with control, except around Korra but that's just because she's so infuriating. Just as his feet hit the ground, I rushed at him and in two strides, I had my palm outward gripping his throat and throwing him into the wall. A strained groan emitted from his enclosed throat but he was still grinning at me. My hand began to glow with that familiar orange tint as my anger grew stronger.

"What did you say?" I spat the words out in a foreign, uncontrolled tone. His voice was strained. "You heard me." I could feel the lump in the man's throat bounce as he tried to swallow. I could hear Korra's voice behind me but I couldn't understand the words she spoke. They were drowned out by the cloud of impairment fueled by this newfound rage bursting within me. "You picked the wrong girl to mess with." My words sounded slurred as they shot out of my mouth. He was still smiling but his gaze was remained on Korra; this pissed me off even more. I punched him once in the temple, a growl emitting from my grinding teeth. "You think you and your worthless Equalists party are better than us benders?" I closed my eyes, letting out a dark, humorless chuckle. "Well then, let me just show you the difference between the two of us."

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**Author's Note**: I hope you enjoyed it! I'm going to try to update again soon.(: First, I've been working on the next chapter for Jealousy Wars but it's almost complete, meaning I'll have more time to write the chapter 11!

Anyway, let me know what you thought. I'll answer questions, and give my shout out thank you's to everyone in the next chapter.(: Right now, I need to catch some Zzz's before I pass out on my laptop.

**Fun Fact: **I _am _planning on writing a sequel to this, just so you all know. It's going to contain all of the stuff I couldn't put into this one from the series, since I started this after watching I think episode four, I didn't know about all the stuff with Tarrlok, etc... So, yeah. I'll be writing a second part too.(: Won't be for quite awhile because I feel I have a lot more to offer for this story first. But just figured I'd throw that out there! haha

Also, I'm somewhat depending on the reviews to determine the couple pairings too. (kinda) I have an idea of what I want to happen, but I want to please my fans as well.(: So drop those reviews by, or messaging, either way and let me know what you think and if I can find a way to make you all happy, I'll do it. If I don't think I can do it though, I will stick with my original plan.

Thank you for reading! Let me know how it was.

-InconsciousSin.


	11. Chapter 11: Monsters and Lilacs

**Author's Note: Okay, to start things off, you're all going to be mad to hear this but this super late update was kind of planned… I wanted to see the season finale before finishing this story because I didn't want to assume how Korra learned to air bend or how she was going to go into the Avatar state. I also didn't know who Amon was. However, in this story, since Tarrlok isn't even mentioned, Amon's identity will not be revealed until the sequel story. Hopefully this isn't too upsetting; I just don't see the point in putting that part into this fic considering Tarrlok has no relevance thus far. **

**While we are on the subject of the finale, I would like to add that I was really disappointed… I'm obviously all for Makorra but it was so rushed and it had no real basis! At all! Katara and Aang were friends and traveled for three seasons. They went on a life journey together and grew together. They had a basis for their love in the end. But this? I hope no one's too butt hurt to hear this, but after that rushed finale, I'm rooting for Bolin to come back in season 2 and take that shit. Lol Plus, it's a kids' show! Mako cheats on his girlfriend then when she finds out he suffers no consequence for his actions… then he doesn't even dump her before denouncing his love for Korra. I don't know I just wasn't pleased at all…. Still love Makorra, just more so in fanfiction than how they did it on the show...**

**Next, an obvious fact that I'm going to go ahead and point out, I'm not following the story line of the show simply because this story was started after watching like three episodes so I've kind of just gone in my own direction. I may use bits and pieces from the show here and there though.**

**Enough with the ramblings. I did make this chapter a little longer so you wouldn't be too sad for waiting so long.(: I hope you enjoy this story (and the finale) more than I enjoyed the actual show's one… Here we go!**

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Chapter 11:

_Monsters and Lilacs_

Bolin's POV:

Well, I gave up my chance to save Korra to protect my brother. Nah, it's cool. Just stop thinking about the fact that you could've been her rescuer and turned the tables in your favor. Maybe Mako will tell her of your _valiant courage _and she will oversee the fact that Mako will be the one coming to her rescue. You chose to sacrifice yourself for her, in a way. Maybe that will make her like you.

I have to stop thinking about it. What's done is done. I looked down at my upper arms; my eye brow twitched. Before I valiantly threw the wall up for my brother's escape, he was kind enough to take the keys with him leaving me with my hands literally tied. I smiled in a desperate attempt to wash away any fear or worry from my features as the strange creatures began advancing on me in slow motion. I was now hopping back and forth, shifting my weight from one heel to the other. "Alright, okay, yeah man. I got this. I can do this. You guys want some? Come get it!" I ducked as one of the chi-blocker threw out his fist. "So are those like custom made costumes? They suck. Just figured I'd let you know. A little freakish, but to each his own I guess." I shrugged, still smiling. Another chi-blocker came up from behind while two of the ones in front of me stopped and eyed each other as if considering my comment. There were more inching towards me. They had just skidded to a stop while racing around the corner from one of the many hallways not yet blocked off from the wall of earth I had thrown up cutting my brother and myself away from one another. "Enough! Detain him!" Shouted one of the newcomers to his friends already surrounding me, clearly not wanting a confrontation by the time he reached our brawl, but I wasn't going to give up that easy. "One bender to rule them all." I stated in a deep, imitation voice of Amon. I spun around in the air, thrusting my heel into the ground. On command, the floor lifted with ease. It began rupturing like a wave towards the aliens, knocking down a few in its path while the others flipped into the air with their abnormal acrobatic skills, landing without a sound once the wave in the floor passed.

A snort left my nose as a joyous laugh escaped my lips. I didn't have much time to enjoy knocking the few chi-blockers down that my attack had successfully hit, while the ones that landed without harm rushed at me. As if a chilling aura had captivated my attackers, they all instantly stopped their assault simultaneously. I spun in a circle, thrusting my heel against the floor. A big piece of earth flew up from beneath the concrete, floating in front of me. "Try to dodge this!" I shouted in my most confident booming tone. My knee bent, tugging my foot up from the floor before I kicked out, sending the block spiraling at the frozen aliens. At first, it was just one large hunk of earth. But within seconds of its departure, I turned my toes slightly to the left. The block trembled with a loud groan before bursting into many smaller pieces, each rushing at a different individual, making it more difficult to dodge. The men suddenly came back to life as if by magic. One ran up the side of the wall, leaping to the ceiling then dropping down directly behind me.

As two of the creatures moved apart, I noticed a dark, slow moving figure approaching from the shadows. "Those were not my orders." The voice was a deep one. It was familiar and calm and extremely creepy. My shoulders shuttered, clanking my handcuffs together with every shiver. The chi-blockers instantly stopped their assault. A heavy sigh of pure relief left my lips. I may be able to put up a good fight, but I was sure this wouldn't have ended well if it carried on for much longer; a bunch of weird alien things that can block my bending just by touching me, versus just me? The odds were looking a bit uneven.

"But sir, the Avatar's friends were trying to escape! We"- Amon, the creepy voice, held up a palm at the talking figure to hush him. "This one is no threat." Wait, what? My eyebrows tugged down over my eyes, my lower lip puffed out. I may have been outnumbered but I was still beating them, sort of. His stoic face turned to me. "The fire bender… did he escape?" The aliens all began nervously stroking the backs of their concealed heads unable to come up with the answer. Amon swung his arms around, holding his hands together behind his back as if my brother's possible freedom was of no concern just as he assumed of mine. While I was tugging at the chains binding my arms behind my back, Amon began his slow saunter passed me to the earth wall I had thrown up to release my brother from the chi-blockers' reach. He placed a single gloved hand against it as if this simple act would show him if our prison break was worth the trouble or if it had failed miserably and Korra was still a prisoner in this hell. "Take this down."

I don't know if he was talking to me or the non-bending chi-blockers, but no one showed any motion to oblige. Amon took in an annoyed breath through his nose then silently let it out through his mouth. "Earth bender, take this wall down now." I snorted. Was he serious? He didn't honestly expect me to just let him out so he could hunt down my brother and my friend. I pretended to be deep in thought as if pondering his request before replying, "Um, no?" His hand was still rested against the wall but he turned his cold stare on me. "You'll regret that decision, child."

A devious smirk spread across my lips, my eyes narrowed. "It's kind of ironic that your little movement is to get rid of us benders and yet here you are asking for a bender's help." He didn't like my observation. His hand now slid from the wall. He turned his body around to face me head on. I watched his eyes examine the faceless beings that hadn't made a single sound or movement since Amon asked about my brother's escape. The simple nod of his head sent them all back in motion as if they were just a set of Sato's soulless machines ready to act at the whim of this psycho. Right on cue, four of the men rushed passed both of us towards my homemade earth wall. Two dropped down to their knees in opposing corners, the other two stretched up to the higher corners. All four of them then reached into the pouches hanging loosely around their waists and pulled out a small spherical object. They placed it in their individual corners, again with robotic like speed and precision, sticking it in place before pressing a small button on the side. While my attention was directed to the four men, another chi-blocker took it as his chance to sneak up behind me. I felt his open palm hit my neck, and then he took another shot on either side of my spine. I dropped to my knees instantly feeling those precious connections with the earth beneath my feet sever; I was powerless.

I heard the devices make a soft beeping sound then the chi-blockers took a few steps away, covering their masked faces. In moments the wall was blown apart in a mini-explosion. Dust, debris, and small chunks of rock and gravel flew through the air. Once the smoke evaporated, I could again see the long corridor stretch out in front of us. I'm sure Amon's cocky little smile was stretched across his face now that he no longer needed help from a "_worthless bender" _but I still had to smile at the idea of it. His eyes were still focused on me when he pointed a finger in the direction that my wall had once cut off, "Go. Find the Avatar and make sure she stays where I put her."

The way he spoke about Korra made my muscles tighten. There aren't many things that make me really angry other than a few normal everyday things. Like when my brother is trying to woo the same girl as me, or Pabu when he leaves his little 'surprises' on my pro-bending uniform, or when someone talks about Korra or any woman like she's their property. My smile faltered slightly and I know he noticed. "I doubt the Avatar will think much of an earth bender who has lost his bending." The hairs on the back of my neck rose. "I don't know, I'm pretty cute. I think I'd still have a chance." My smile was forced as a slight hint of fear began growing in the pit of my stomach.

He took a few slow steps towards me. A sly chuckle erupted from behind his mask and that familiar gloved palm extended down towards me. I was frozen, why wasn't I able to move? I could feel some kind of strange power taking hold on the blood pulsing through my veins. What was happening? Whatever it was, it hurt. Bad. I have never felt this kind of pain. He wasn't even touching me yet, why did this hurt so much? My teeth were grinding against each other. I sucked in the side of my cheek, biting on it to stop myself from releasing a scream due to the agony. My limbs grew closer and closer to my abdomen as if there was an invisible lasso tightening around me, crushing me. A soft groan escaped my lips. I could taste the salt from the blood now oozing from the indention my teeth left in my cheek. I was on fire.

I had only been burnt once before, by Mako. It was on accident during a sparring match I had foolishly suggested. We were young and competitive. I was talking smack like a pro, as I so often did, but wasn't paying as close attention to my brother's wit as I should have been. He took his chance to attack while I was dancing around, throwing about rocks and laughing at an impressively hilarious joke I had made. Then, just as I noticed his fire was only inches away, I ducked when I should have dodged. It wasn't a bad burn; it didn't even leave evidence behind for a future tale. However, at the time, it was the worst pain I had ever felt; until now. This burn was deep, internal deep, as if the fire were pulsing through my bloodstream and just growing hotter with every pump from the inferno where my heart should be.

I was so lost in the internal torment that I hadn't realized Amon was now hovering over me, his thumb pressed firmly against my forehead. I wanted to fight back, to kick him in the knee or a swift fist to the face, but it was impossible. I was unable to function. I couldn't even think. I closed my eyes; reminiscing on all the good times I had while being a bender, praying that it wouldn't be so bad to be normal. Maybe Korra could still give me a shot if I wasn't a bender. A tear rolled down my cheek, cooling my burning skin beneath its trail. I let out another groan, but it just came out as a gentle sob. I didn't want to be _normal. _I am an earth bender; that's who I want to be. Without that, what do I have? I have my ability to make people laugh but even that is unsuccessful more times than not. Anything else? Another tear rolled down. No. Nothing else.

This pain was growing unbearable. Then, Amon's thumb pressed harder against my forehead and I felt something heavy, like a cloak, being lifted from my body. In a moment, Amon's touch was gone along with that heavy but comforting veil and I fell forward to the cold cement. I stared off at the wall, my cheek resting against the earth I once adored so much. My blood had finally cooled. That strange unconscious grasp had been lifted as well as the pain. I no longer felt the invisible lasso tight around my torso, but I also no longer felt at peace. Something was missing. I felt a few more cool tears run down the side of my nose, dripping off into nothing as realization finally sunk in. It was gone. _Everything_ was gone. Amon let out that deep cackle of his and I knew he was about to say something cruel to add to this torment. There was no relieving comment I could come up with to make myself feel better. I couldn't even muster up a smile as I stole Amon's line before he had the privilege to speak. My lower lip trembled slightly as I whispered, _"._.._I've been equalized."_

* * *

Mako's POV:

I slammed his worthless body against the cold ground. I barely heard his groans in objection when my knee met his ribs with a startling snap. The flames in my hands were growing hotter as the adrenaline pulsed through my veins. My fist nailed the side of his face, leaving a scorch mark. He was still smiling and I knew this was only to piss me off. It was working even though I knew that smile would soon be melted away; literally. One of my hands grabbed the collar of his shirt, tugging him off the ground to eye level. My free fist opened allowing the fire to take a large, perfect candle lit form in my palm.

He let out a wild cackle. I could almost sense the tension from the imprisoned girl behind me at the frightening sound erupting from this madman's lips. "Go ahead, kill me. Send the message Amon has been fighting for." I hesitated for only a moment before the man thrust out an open palm towards my stomach. I smacked his hand away before delivering the same blow to his torso, drinking in his scream as the fire immersed itself into his flesh.

I was never a fan of pain; causing it or receiving it. However, right now, there was some new emotion flooding through me. When we would face our opponents in a pro-bending match, the attacks were small and everyone wore protective clothing to prevent major injuries. When my brother and I would practice or have an occasional sparring match, I would hold back; except this one time… He was making fun of me because I wasn't avoiding his attacks as well as most other days. I was distracted, I can't remember why, but he was persistent with his jokes and I got angry. It was the last time I can remember losing control of myself; it was the last time I allowed myself to. He made some stupid, unfunny comment and it sent me over the edge. While he was busy chuckling and marveling at the ability of his own wit, I bent down, swiping my foot out, sending a wave of fire at him before thrusting a fist in his direction releasing an abundance of heat and combustions. The attack hit, of course, but instead of hearing my brother's innocent laughter he was writhing on the ground in pain; tears were streaming from his eyes. He was fine a few hours later, but that image always sticks with me whenever I begin to feel myself losing it.

Right now, the image of this stranger with his hand tight around Korra's throat while he was… that was the only image stuck in my head; it was overpowering my nine year old brother crying from the fire I used to defeat him. And for some strange, psychotic reason, I was okay with that. I was _enjoying _this. This new emotion lacked all guilt, all shame; it was rampaging through me freely. It was a pure joy that I had never experienced before. It wasn't the joy that I felt when I was with Asami, or in the pro-bending arena, or even with Korra. It was a destructive happiness; it was revenge. With every scream, every groan, every crack or burn, I wanted to continue to cause that same pain repeatedly. I wanted him to feel the same pain he had caused Korra.

I could almost feel my shoulder bouncing with the maniacal laughter I wouldn't dare release. My knuckles met his jawline. My knee shot up into his groin. I grabbed the collar of his shirt with both hands, throwing him across the room. He landed like a lifeless corpse in front of Korra. I stood, staring at the back of his head while he slowly began staggering onto his knees and palms. I could see his forearms trembling beneath his weight and couldn't help but smile. I had to take in a few deep breaths to regain control over the primal instinct egging me to destroy this man before taking a step towards him. My eyes slowly moved up to Korra. Her eyes were on the battered man in front of her; wide and unreadable. I heard a whisper leave the pervert's lips. Even though the words were inaudible to me, I couldn't control this rage building up inside of me. I watched the color fade from Korra's eyes as she stared at the monster in front of her._ I don't know if I can do this, _I thought as my fists began to shake, _I need to get control. Calm down, Mako. _I took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. It did no good. _Remember what happened last time you lost control. _My fists tightened. I took a step towards the monster without listening to the voice in my head. _Remember? Little Bolin… _He was fine. It was his fault anyway, he egged me on. _Tears streaming down… _Bolin's overdramatic, he would've cried once he saw I wasn't laughing at his jokes. _Think of your brother. Do you want him to hear that you're a killer? _I took another step closer. What about Korra? Do I want to save her from this hell without setting her free from her demon? If I let him live, he may come back. _She's a prisoner; with chains. Once she's not immobilized I doubt he'd mess with her. Think of your brother! Stop being selfish! _I took in a deep breath, another step closer. My arms were almost trembling from holding my fists so tightly. _You've already hurt your brother twice… why not try a third time? _I stopped. _Take control. _My eyes narrowed. I knew what I had to do.

* * *

Korra's POV:

I tugged my knees closer to my chest as the man's hungry eyes met mine. My spine shook as an all too familiar chill rushed along each individual vertebrae. That devious smirk touched his lips. "You're mine now, sweetheart. You'll always be mine." I knew what he meant. His words made me feel gross and used. I couldn't force this newfound worthlessness away. I had little time to self-destruct before Mako was attacking the man once more. He really cared… right? If it was Asami in my place, would he still be this angry? I frowned, _probably_. Maybe he's just against… what this guy did. Not so much who he did it to. I felt sick all over again. Hot tears formed in my eyes but I shook them away, turning my attention back on the furious bender in front of me. He was usually so controlled. But now? I was worried what he would do to this stranger and somewhat jealous that I can't be the one to do it myself.

* * *

Mako's POV:

I rushed at the weak creature. He was attempting to crawl forward towards the fragile prisoner. My flaming fist pulled back before I thrust it forward allowing it to connect with the back of his head. His arms gave out and he fell forward onto the cold ground. Korra tugged her knees closer to her chest just as I grabbed a loose piece of fabric hanging from the chi-blocker's shirt and rolled him onto his back. Crimson trails were leaking from his nostrils. One of his eyes looked as if it were already swelling. I can't remember if it was due to one of my blows or the connection with the concrete. He was still smiling, but blood had replaced the saliva in his mouth and had now stained his teeth. I dropped to my knees.

This man was worse than Amon. He was a monster. He was a pervert; revolting, disgusting. He destroyed the once strong, beautiful symbol of us benders, and my best friend all with one act. I could kill him right now. I wanted to kill him; needed to. I needed to end his life. I had never been so full of rage. I was seeing red; just red. Red from the rage clouding my once topaz eyes. Red from the blood leaking from his repulsive mouth. Red from the fire erupting around me and the flames held in my shaking fists. And red from the bruises shrouding Korra's once flawless skin. My knees tightened on either side of the man's thighs. This would be so easy.

"Why don't you fight back?" The words were a grumble from my lips. Maybe I would have ended it right there, if he had at least given me a fight. Instead, he was weak. That made it all the worst. If Korra had not been subjected to Amon's cruel treatment or bindings, this man would not have had a chance to even come near her. If I would have been there with her when Amon came after her, she wouldn't have been torn apart by this worthless being. I hated myself more than I could ever hate him. He smiled. I could barely see the white of his teeth from the crimson liquid swimming around his mouth. He spit it at me. I closed my eyes, wiping it from my cheek.

"Kill me, bender." His words were taunting. I wasn't going to get an answer. My hand struck out, wrapping around his throat as his had been when I first came into this cell. I tightened it until that abnormal blob of sound left, his last breath now cut off.

"I'm not like you. I'm better than you. _We _are better than you. I won't kill you. No matter how much I want to, _need _to. I can't. Benders are not the problem with the world…" I closed my eyes, feeling his legs wiggle beneath my weight as he fought to escape my wrath. I took in a deep breath, releasing it slowly. I released his neck. I could hear him sucking at the air, coughing every time an ounce of oxygen passed through his expanding lungs. My eyes snapped back open just as my flameless fist met the man's temple, knocking his head back to the ground with an unconscious thud. My eyes were staring down at him. It was silent aside from the sound of my heart beating at an abnormally fast pace and the uneven breathing of my victim and his victim across the room. Without his sly little smile my anger was able to subside enough for me to regain control over myself. I can't believe I was able to stop. I stared down at my open palms as if amazed at the will power I was granted.

My heart finally began to calm itself. I fell backwards onto my butt. My hand ran through my hair, whisking away the beads of sweat that had just begun their trickle down my forehead. Then, my gaze fell on her. "Korra," her eyes were big, staring at me as if she had seen a ghost; or as if I had actually just killed a man in front of her. "Are you alright?"

* * *

Korra's POV:

I had never seen him like this. His jaw was tight. The usual calm that hazed over his topaz eyes was replaced by a blur of pain and anger. His muscles were so tense I thought they would rip his shirt like some angry superhuman. I had never seen him show so much emotion all at once. I watched the fight in shock. Mako had the perfect chance to finish the monster but instead allowed him to live. Deep down in that tiny sliver of logic within me, I understood why. But after everything that had happened I couldn't seem to wrap my mind around the ability to hold back. Let's just say, I wouldn't have been able to stop the beating once I started it.

I tore my eyes from the bloody, unconscious blob of wasted life lying still on the ground in front of me and managed to meet the gaze of my savior. His voice was still slightly shaky but the harshness had left. He spoke in a soft, worried whisper. I felt those butterflies begin dancing away in my stomach while forcing an unconvincing smile, "Yeah… I'm fine." Mako rolled onto his knees, crawling through the pools of blood to get to me. His eyes never left mine. "I was so worried about you." I could sense that his words were genuine. His palm slowly reached out to caress my bruised cheek. He was hesitant, but once his skin met mine, I instantly felt soothed; relieved. In that moment I felt as if all of this was just a terrible nightmare that I had once again been shaken away from. That is, until Mako's eyes slowly drifted downward. I tensed, what was he thinking as his eyes surveyed my battered body and torn clothes? "I should have come sooner… I shouldn't have… damn it." He was muttering to himself as if lost in his one world filled with fault and consternation.

I cocked my head to the side in an effort to meet his gaze. How could he possibly be blaming himself for this? I opened my mouth to speak but Mako was already fumbling with the locks encasing my arms above my head.

* * *

Mako's POV:

If I hadn't left her alone that night… if I hadn't walked Asami home… if I would've just admitted my feelings for Korra when she was spilling her heart out to me… we are all here because of my selfish, indecisive behavior. This is all because of me. My teeth were grinding against each other into nubs. I couldn't take this time to contemplate what could have been; right now I had to focus on getting everyone out safely. Bolin was hopefully doing well against those chi-blockers. If anything, they will probably just throw him back into our little make-shift prison in which I can easily break him back out of.

I quickly reached up, fighting with the metal lock as if my fingers were going to suddenly evolve into a magical skeleton key for which the lock would open. "The keys!" I shouted. My sudden booming voice had startled Korra. She jumped before her body crumpled together as if this simple act would shield her from any harm. I slowly reached down to run my fingers throw her tangled hair. "I'm sorry. I'll be right back. I'm going to get you out of here." Where the hell did I throw those keys? Why the hell did I throw the keys? I haven't been thinking straight since this whole mess started.

I rose to my feet, surveying the room for the janitorial ring. I tried thinking back over the events that had happened since I slammed that chi-blocker against the wall and stole the keys. I smiled, dropping down to eye level with the battered beauty in front of me, "Wait here." She glared at me and wrinkled her nose. "No problem. I won't move an inch." I realized my mistake and grimaced, "Sorry. Just… give me a second."

* * *

Korra's POV:

Mako hurried to his feet and within moments he was gone. I felt that haunting loneliness envelope me again. I use to be so strong, so independent. Now? Within the matter of hours, or days, or however long it's been since I've been locked away in this dreary prison, I've been completely transformed into something almost lifeless. My hopes for escape had vanished along with my friend as he exited the room. A sigh left my lips. I made the mistake of looking at the man still passed out on the floor in front of me. The bitter taste of vile rose up in my throat at the site. Mako had really made his point, that's for sure.

The monster's appearance seemed altered behind the blood, burns and bruises to match my own. I broke my stare, looking off at the bored wall beside me. Questions began whirling around in my head. Where were Bolin and Asami? Were they safe? And how did Mako get in here? How is he alive? How did he even know I was here? Whatever the reasons, I couldn't thank the spirits enough for his presence. I only wish they lead him here sooner.

I was nibbling on my lower lip, contemplating every possibility to the questions I had stirred up when I heard footsteps rushing back down the hallway. My body began to tremble instinctively before all fear evaporated and was once again replaced by hope and liberation. "Mako!" I smiled. It felt as if a boulder had been resting on my chest until he returned, jangling a ring filled with keys in front of him. Now that boulder had been lifted and shattered; I could breathe easy for the time being. He hurried over, fighting with each key to find the one to fit the lock. I was growing impatient. We were both taken by the silence aside from the clanking of metal. "Got it." The words left his lips along with a deep breath. I watched him turn the key with eager eyes until that joyous click met my ears. The lock was released and I slowly pulled my arms away. Mako tucked the keys away in his pocket while I carefully rubbed the raw skin on my wrists. My arms felt stiff. The blood began flowing back to my fingertips while I stretched my limbs and rotated my shoulders.

He knelt in front of me. Then, he flashed me that cocky, crooked grin that I never imagined I would see again. His arms wrapped around me in a loving embrace but something inside of me felt off about it. I buried my face in the nape of his neck as hot tears began streaming down my cheeks. My fingers gripped at the front of his shirt. His arms tightened around me. I took in his scent. It was an aroma of spices and leather slightly tainted with sweat and something else… shoes? He smelled like he has been sleeping in a closet, but it was still intoxicating. I felt him wince beneath my touch as my hands pulled his torso closer. That's when I remembered his wound. A gasp left my lips, "I'm so sorry!" I tried to pull away but he held me close. One hand stayed tight around my waist while his other hand reached up to cradle my cheek. Once more I felt at peace. His mere touch was soothing.

* * *

Mako's POV:

I threw my arms around her. I had never been so worried for someone. I wanted to kiss her but I knew it would be inappropriate after what had just happened to her. The thought was still wrenching to think about. Some random creep _claiming _her as his own… My skin was scalding with heat from the inferno raging inside of me. Luckily, a sharp pain erupted from my side, drawing me away from my dark imagination. I felt my wound begin to burn again. I assume it was reopened during my vengeful encounter with Korra's real-life demon but it was nothing compared to the pain visible in her azure eyes.

I didn't want to ruin this moment, but I could sense that cloaked figure was still standing in the doorway and Bolin was still all alone and probably wondering what happened to me. I felt the weight of the metal in my pocket and mentally slapped myself. I forgot to get the cuffs off Bolin before running away with the keys. My heart was now pounding against my ribs. "We need to get out of here."

Korra nodded, using my shoulder to regain her balance. I stood up, holding her elbows in my palms. She got to her feet but was only able to take a few steps before her knees locked up and gave out. I quickly caught her, "You haven't walked in a few days. Let me help you." I stated before scooping her up. She was shaking at first, but quickly relaxed in my arms. She wrapped her own arms around my neck before staring at the figure in the doorway. I'm assuming she hadn't realized we weren't alone this entire time. I knew it was an unsuitable time to smile, but I couldn't keep the grin from creeping across my lips. Korra was safe. She was hurt and emotionally damaged, but at least she was alive. And now, she was in my arms; no one else's. "Where's Bolin?" The grin faded. Determination set back in while I hurried to the doorway, passing that cloaked figure with narrow eyes. "We're about to go get him." I stated as I began my ascent back to my brave little brother. "He's here?" She asked. I nodded once, quickening my pace. "Yeah. He stayed behind to fight off the chi-blocker's."

* * *

Korra's POV:

Mako left Bolin alone against those creeps? I stared up at him in shock, but couldn't muster up a rebuttle. If he hadn't left Bolin, where would I be? Dead, most likely, or worse. I shuttered at the thought. I stared ahead, noticing a large amount of dust and smoke. "Where's Asami?" I could feel Mako's biceps stiffened around me. Was she hurt? I tried to look up at his eyes to see his expression but he tilted his chin higher so all I could see was the muscle in his jaw tighten. He said nothing. I turned my stare back at the smoke as it slowly faded, allowing me to make out a dark figure lying still on the ground and a few others rushing away in the opposite direction. "Bolin!" Mako shouted out. I felt his pace grow faster as my heart dropped. That couldn't be Bolin. He had to be alright.

We hurried to the figure and sure enough, it was our friend. His forehead was resting against the ground before he lifted his head to then rest on his chin as he stared at us. His face was pale, all emotion had abandoned his eyes. Mako gently set me down before turning to his brother. "What happened?" Bolin looked at me, "Are you alright?" I felt a blush creep across my cheeks. Something terrible had happened here. Bolin was gone and replaced with the same, if not worse, façade than I was fighting with, and yet here he was, worried about me. I looked passed him towards the closed doors lining the corridor. "I'm fine, Bolin…" I muttered. He clearly wasn't pleased with my not so honest words. I could feel his eyes on me but luckily Mako broke the tension. He began digging in his pocket for the ring of freedom so he could release his brother from his binds. The keys jangled against one another as he found the right one, and unlocked the cuffs. They clanked together as they hit the ground.

Mako grabbed Bolin's arm, preparing to hoist him up. "Can you walk?" The younger brother looked like dead weight, not even making an attempt to help ease himself back into a sitting position. "Just leave me here." He covered his eyes with his forearm, throwing himself back onto the ground and out of Mako's grasp. "I might as well die!" He was always overdramatic. Mako rolled his eyes, "We don't have time for this. We need to get Korra out of here." He ducked his head, forcing his brother onto his back. His eyes then turned to me. I could tell what he was thinking; he was going to have to carry both of us out of here.

I forced a small smile and shook my head. "I think I'll be fine to walk. Just give me a second." I staggered onto my knees, using the wall to support my weight as I stood up. My legs were shaky, but I had to try. Mako came over to me and draped one of my arms across his shoulders. I pulled away, stubbornly. My eyebrows furrowed, "Let me do this myself." The words sounded snappy, but I was tired of being saved. I'm the Avatar; I can do things on my own. I took a hesitant step, then another. My legs felt like they were sinking in mud; heavy and difficult to move. It took a few more slow steps and almost falling again, before I decided to just continue using the wall for support. As we journeyed down the hall, I was able to move faster and eventually let go. I stole a glance at Bolin who was staring at his brother's back as if it were telling him something vastly interesting.

I watched him, waiting for some spark of emotion, some sign to let us know this was all just a prank and he was really just fine. I promised myself I would laugh, for Bolin, once he admitted his cruel prank of worrying us. When he didn't immediately crack a grin or break his stare at Mako's shirt, I reached a hand out to him. "Bolin, what happened?" I watched his body tense. This place was hell. Mako was the only one making it out of here without being emotionally drained or with a physical toll taken out of him; besides that wound. I still don't know where he got that from.

Bolin slowly turned his head. He looked like a zombie. He opened his mouth as if he were going to speak before allowing a soft smile to grace his lips. "I'm really glad you're okay. And hey, Team Avatar is back together again." I ruffled his hair. It was hard to fake being this playful when on the inside I felt disgusted and ruined, but it was for Bolin. "Well, not quite. We still need Asami." I must have said something wrong because after the words left my lips, Bolin glanced up at his brother as if waiting for something and Mako's eyes merely met his shuffling feet. I couldn't tell if he looked sad or just lost in thought, either way, something must have happened while I was locked away. Both of the brothers were hiding something big... I knew it was wrong to be this nosy, considering I never want Bolin, or anyone finding out what has happened to me while being in this hell, but I need to know. Bolin wasn't even really himself and Mako was just acting, well, strange. I let out a sigh, working through my self-torment silently as we walked.

We were all silent for an abnormal amount of time before Mako finally broke it.

* * *

Mako's POV:

"So, you gonna tell us why you were lying on the floor back there?" I could feel his body tense against my shoulder.

"Haven't you ever heard that if you play dead, your enemy will flee?"

My eyebrow rose; he was joking, right? "That's not why."

"Yeah it is. I wanted to try it out."

"Bolin, just tell me."

"I am."

I let out an exaggerated sigh. "Alright, riddle me this, if that's really what you were doing, why didn't the chi-blockers lock you back in the closet?"

My little brother was silent for a long moment and I knew he understood I had made my point. "Did something happen?" My voice was softer now.

A familiar voice from behind us suddenly answered the question for him. "Isn't it obvious?" We stopped. How hadn't we seen him? The hall is narrow and there is only one way to really go… Unless he was hiding? What kind of game is this to him?

"What did you do to my brother?" My voice was uneven, shaky. I lowered my chin, allowing my bangs to fall over my eyes. I could hear Amon's footsteps echoing off the walls as he grew closer. I turned around towards him, my eyes still shielded. My little brother was still dead weight across my shoulder, so I walked over to the wall beside us and carefully sat him down. He propped himself up against it and gave me a one sided smirk. I nodded before hurrying back to my original position. My eyes were narrow, his eyes were glaring right back. I took a step to the right, making sure to place myself slightly in front of Korra in case Amon tried getting to her.

* * *

Korra's POV:

His eyes were covered by his bangs but I could sense his anger. Amon was now walking closer. I took a few steps away from him. Why did he make me feel this way? It was like this place had some kind of dark, ominous veil draped over it relaying fear and oppression upon its unwelcomed prisoners. Tremors and shakes erupted through my body. It isn't supposed to be like this. I'm the Avatar. I'm supposed to protect people and to save everyone… I'm not supposed to be the one being saved or the one that's afraid.

My eyes drifted back to Mako who was now Bolin free and facing Amon with eyes filled by determination and confidence. _That should be me_, instead I'm just standing here, hoping Amon will decide to leave us alone and give us consent to go home… To my dismay Amon chuckled. His chi-blockers were close behind along with that weird person that was standing outside of my prison cell when Mako had carried me out. "I saw that you met Thioh. Nice boy." Nice boy? Was he really talking about the unconscious creature still lying in my cell? This wasn't happening. We were so close to escaping! Those too fresh memories began flashing through my mind; clouding my cognitive processes. That man was still alive. At least now I had a name to call him by. Funny, I didn't know monsters were allowed to have names, especially something as _humane _as Thioh. His voice, his fist, his touch… I shuttered. I couldn't go back to that room, he's still in there. Soon, he'll be waking up. I need to stay away from that room; I can't go back. I can't do it… "I won't!" My hands were clutching either side of my head. I opened my eyes. I was on my knees, shaking my head wildly between my palms. The words were not meant to be spoken out loud, rather they were yelled. My eyes glanced around at the frozen figures around me.

Mako was staring down at me with his worried gaze, Bolin had a hint of confusion in his now dull, emotionless eyes, and of course Amon looked amused; about as amused as someone wearing mask can look, I guess. "You won't, what?" Amon's voice was the proof of how much fun this was for him. He was walking closer. My heart was about to break apart my rib cage and bound away. "I'm not going back to that room!" Did I really just say that? Now what do you think will happen, Korra? That he'll oblige? Amon glanced at Bolin still resting lazily against the wall. "Little brother lost his bending and all you're worried about is your sleeping arrangements?" Everything went numb. I felt like a blur, or that fuzzy static in a weak radio signal. He couldn't be serious. He was just lying, just like he did when he said Mako was dead. "No, that's not true." My words sounded more like a breath than a statement. "Isn't it?" Amon sounded almost innocent.

"You bastard!" I glanced at Mako. While I was lost in my static, Mako decided to stop standing around and was now rushing at Amon with a fist already burning with an intense flame.

I turned my sad eyes to my friend. "Bolin…" Bolin smiled at me, resting his head against the wall. "Don't worry, Korra. I'm still me. He may have taken my earth bending but he can never take away my Word Bending." His smile broadened a little, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. His face grew solemn. "Did they take yours too?" I broke our stare, rubbing my upper arm with vigor. "Um… no, they didn't."

When he spoke again, I could tell his smile had returned. "Great! That's a relief. Then go kick Amon's butt." I was relieved to know our Bolin was still himself, in a way, but at the same time I couldn't shake away the guilt. If Aang were here, Bolin would still have his bending and Amon would have never been such a problem; Aang would have finished him off by now. My eyes fell back on the boy leaning up against the wall. "I don't know how yet, but I will find some way to get you're bending back, Bolin. I promise." The boy showed his teeth, a visible blush creeping across his cheeks and I smiled back. This was a promise I was planning on keeping: somehow.

I heard Mako groan loudly, drawing me back from my thoughts. Mako tried to take on Amon, but instead of landing his attack, Amon must have dodged it and threw out his hand, grabbing Mako by the throat. His grip was tight. I could tell by the gargling, awkward noises coming from deep in Mako's throat. A gasp left my lips. "Mako! Let him go, Amon."

Amon's eyes narrowed. "Do something about it."

I stood up, my legs wobbling at first before I sucked in a deep breath. Fear or no fear, I couldn't just sit here and do nothing. It looked like Mako was frozen. He wasn't even fighting back. His muscles were bulging against his clothing and yet that was the extent of it. He wasn't kicking or flaming or anything. I returned my focus to Amon. I threw my foot onto the ground, forcing a huge slab of rock to break loose from the floor. Then, I forced my foot forward, launching the hunk of earth at the masked man. He dodged it with ease before throwing Mako into the wall. Mako coughed, sucking in air. "Take care of the boy. I want him dead." Amon stated to the chi-blockers. They all glanced at one another before rushing at the fire bender.

He was walking closer so I threw another slab of rock at him, he ducked and somehow my shot, which was perfectly aimed, had missed. I tried a second time, but this time when he dodged it, his hand was close enough to smack away my fist. I lit a flame in the other one but he smacked it away right afterwards. I lifted my foot, preparing a strike to no avail. He stepped on my toe before I could even fully lift it off the ground. Amon's fist connected with the side of my head then he threw a second fist into my gut. I could feel previous bruises throbbing under the pressure of these new wounds.

I looked around Amon to spot Mako and to see how he was fairing while being clearly outnumbered. I watched him place an open palm on either side of one of the alien's shoulders, leaping over him then immediately punching a second one in the face. He spun around, flames erupting from his heel in a circle surrounding him. He seemed to be doing fine. I smiled, until the strange figure dressed in all black, like some kind of ninja, stepped up towards Mako, then the smile fell. Something inside of me didn't feel right about this but my attention was forced away when Amon rested his hand against my shoulder. I tried lifting my arm to strike but something was holding me in place. Within seconds my veins began to burn. My body was no longer my own; it was now a prison. The blood pulsing through me felt as if it were reversing its flow, washing waves of unpleasant dizziness over me. I felt nauseous. My head was pounding along with my heart. I thought my eyes were going to burst from their designated arrangement on my face, into a bloody mess on the floor. What was going on? I tugged at my invisible restraints only to send another spiraling jolt from my fingertips down to my toes. A growl left my lips before evolving into a soft whimper of pain. "Wh-what's happening..?" Amon's grasp on my shoulder tightened. "What's the matter? You seem unable to land an attack." I struggled to hold my own weight but my legs were fighting against me. They began trembling, knocking my knees against one another; I was growing too heavy thanks to this strange internal attack. "Let it out." His voice was cool and uncaring, but I gladly obliged. It felt like knives were stabbing the back of my eyes; when tears began to fall, I was worried they would be crimson. "Why? It hurts... so bad..." Amon was smirking behind that mask; I know he was. "This is nothing compared to what I'm going to do to him." He motioned his head towards Mako. "No!"

"Yes. Who do you think you are to say otherwise?"

"I'm the Avatar!" I cried out. I know I caught everyone off guard by my sudden outburst. "This isn't supposed to happen..." A scream of agony left my lips as my legs finally gave out, causing me to fall to my knees. Amon knelt in front of me, bringing his face close to mine. "I told you I would destroy you." I shook my head, not taking my eyes off of him. His gloved hand was reaching down towards me. This was it; this was my last moment as the Avatar. His hand grabbed my collar, pulling my face so close to his that my cheek was pressed against his mask. "I took the earth bender's ability to bend. The fire bender will not be so lucky." My heart dropped to my toes with a splat. "What do you want?" I fought against his grasp as he let out a wild cackle. "I want you to suffer until you cannot take it anymore." What? Really? What kind of sick sadistic person wants that?

I stared at him in shock. As if on cue, Amon reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white object. He pushed me backwards before he held out a white lilac between us. It was beautiful at first, before Amon allowed it to wilt between his fingers at an unusually fast pace. How was he able to do that? Was his touch really so deadly it could destroy an innocent beauty so easily? A cackle erupted from beneath his mask as if he were making sure I knew that his metaphor was about to become my reality.

* * *

**Author's Note: I'm really tired... like literally about to either die or pass out tired... worked today and just... if this chapter doesn't make sense, then don't read it. lol i don't have the time or patience right now to read back through it to make sure it sounds okay so here you go. Let me know if you like it, and also what you thought about the Legend of Korra Finale... lol.**

**Time for bed. ughhh.**

**-InconsciousSin.**


	12. Chapter 12: A New State of Mind

**Author's Note: Very... VERY late update. I am so sorry everyone! ): Life has just been insane. I'm hoping to have chapter 13 and two chapters for "Jealousy Wars" out by the end of this coming week as well. I am also hoping to get back on my typical updating speed instead of this slow, late crap. Anyway, here it is. I'm hoping you guys like it... **

**Thank you to all of you loyal reviewers that leave me your feedback regularly. It really keeps me going! I don't have time or the energy to thank each and every one of you individually but here's a few:**

**Guest(s): I'm not giving up on this story. I promise.(: I am so sorry this was so late and I apologize in advance for any other slow updates but I am _not _going to quit on this story! I've worked too hard on it to just abandon it.**

**IVIoogle: Thank you so much! (: I agree. Amon struck me as "The Bad Guy." If Korra wasn't a kid show, I feel like the writers could have done sooo much with this character. That's what I've been trying to do with him. And I doubt you remember what your review said but uhh *hint* you might like this chapter. haha ;) **

**Hollyberry265: I know, I'm sorry.): I try to build so much suspense and then ruin it by my super late updates. I'm going to try harder. I miss writing and I'm going to find time to make for my stories and all of you loyal readers. **

**And thank all of you that weren't named. If any of you have any questions/comments just let me know. This chapter was a little difficult to write. I'm really tired which may be the main reason why but it would be greatly appreciated to know what you think so please leave a review after you read! And as always, enjoy.(:**

* * *

Chapter 12:

_A New State of Mind_

Mako's POV:

Those blue eyes were desolate. They had become a void of confusion and terror. I had never imagined that the strong willed, spitfire I had grown to care so much about could look so helpless. The stacking of these terrible events must be taking their toll. That creature, Thioh, followed directly by the news of my brother's lost soul and now Amon had us right in his clutches. I couldn't imagine what he was plotting. He behaved as if every word, every mishap, every struggle from us; it was as if he had planned for all of it beforehand. He showed no worry. No sign glistened in those mysterious eyes that he was at all concerned that this "new world" he has been working so hard to construct could ever come tumbling down around him.

I stared over at Korra. She was trembling as if someone were strangling her appendages and wrapping an invisible vine around her neck. It was difficult to look away from her, but I had to check on my brother. Bolin was still sitting a short distance away. His back was resting, slouched against the wall with his knees tucked against his chest. His eyes held that same emptiness as Korra's. I felt a heel knock out my leg, swiping it across the back of my knee. I struggled to keep my balance before igniting a ball of fire in my palm and thrusting it at the guy that broke my train of thought. _I have to stay focused._ It was a difficult task to accomplish when the rest of my team was lying helpless around me. I quickly lit my other palm, hurling a fire whip around in intricate figure eights. My whip managed to knock a few of the chi-blockers aside as they attempted, and failed, to dodge the attack. I flung the whip to my left at one of the opponents that thought he was going to rush me while I was distracted. The flames managed to engulf his arm. I could hear his cries as the fire burned through the thick threads lining his uniform. I could feel the heat of the flames reflecting in my eyes. The smell of burning leather and skin burrowed its way into my nostrils. I watched the man fight the fire now working its way up towards his shoulder. As the fire snaked its way across the man's chest, a smirk slithered its way across my lips.

I hated these people. They stole my brother's bending and one of them, though he may not be present, took something that can never be replaced. I clenched my fist, lost in thought for a moment before a fist made its way to my face. His filthy laughter rang in my ears. My face was already beginning to swell but I could barely feel it behind the angry pulse in my torso. That traitorous stab wound had reopened thanks to the amateur stitching job courtesy of Amon's little helpers. I glanced down as the blood continued dripping like saline into the newly formed puddle pooling around me. I don't know where it came from, but someone kicked me, forcing me to fall forward. I glanced over at Korra, about to shout to her to get up and fight before another fist nailed my already bruising cheek.

It was almost slow motion. From the moment I was sparring well against my outnumbering opponents to this moment: my arms captive to the chi-blockers, a knee to my already bloody side, then Amon's wicked hand grappling my hair and ripping it backwards. I could almost hear my neck snap at the pace in which he worked. Then, his thumb against my head; I glared up at him refusing to expose my fear for what was about to happen. I knew this wasn't death, but strangely enough, events began to flash before my eyes as if I were nearing those demonic gates to the afterlife. My sweet, innocent little brother never deserved this. He never deserved any of the tragic events he's been forced to face, but losing his bending? I couldn't escape this devastating sense of guilt. If I hadn't ran off when he was up against those chi-blockers… If I hadn't been more worried for Korra than my own brother… If I would have stayed behind to ensure his safety so we could escape together to rescue Korra, then maybe none of this would have happened. I could go back even farther, to the point when Korra confessed her love for me and I coldly turned her away, leaving her alone on that empty or what I thought was an empty street. The nagging ripple of fire from Asami's final gift to me yanked me back to the moment and away from my guilt-filled judgments. It was a scorching pain. I began to feel light-headed. I don't know if this is just how it felt when Amon claimed one's bending or if it was from the massive loss of blood. Amon kept shouting to Korra to do something. The words were hazy in my ringing ears.

Some piece of recollection seemed to wander back to me at the pace of a story; bits and pieces flooded my brain in flawless order. I had heard many stories growing up about the great Avatar Aang and all of the strife he faced as the child prodigy. I heard about how he met his soul mate, Katara, and her older brother. I had also heard about the crazed people that threatened to harm the girl in order to draw Aang into the Avatar state. These men wanted Aang's power, but Amon hates benders… so why would he want Korra to enter the Avatar State? I gasped aloud, not realizing the sound had actually left my throat. "Korra, stay calm. He wants you to go into the Avatar state—don't"- I glanced over at her. My heart pounded like a stick to the gong in my chest. My recognition came about far too late.

* * *

Korra's POV:

This isn't right. I'm the Avatar. My entire life I have been told of the "great, amazing" things I was one day going to accomplish. I mean, saving the world is a pretty big feat but it was me, out of all the other people in this world, I alone am responsible for the outcome of this. I used to relish in this idea. The concept of how important I was and the strength I could one day possess always secretly excited me. But now, in my weakest state, I realize that being a lone Avatar is not as luxurious as I had imagined it to be. I've always been alone though, I guess. I mean Naga has always been here, sure. Not to mention the many teachers assigned to train me the arts of each element, however, aside from that I am alone. My parents are halfway around the world which at least is a comfort to know that while everyone else I love is struggling around me, they are safe. It's because of me that Bolin is crouched in the corner, weak and disoriented from the vital missing puzzle piece that made the picture of his personality come alive. His eyes were dulled; the light that once resided there no longer shone, reaching from his buoyant grin that now was even straining to form across his lips. And then of course there was Mako. Mako was fighting his hardest against his outnumbering opponents and losing. He was quick enough to not let them touch him or prevent the flames ricocheting from his palms at their inhuman-like bodies. But while they had their own personal struggles, all I was able to do was sit there and stare.

The blood in my veins still burned as an infectious, unknown poison continued eradicating my body. I tried to fight, to even lift my hand up to push the sinful bastard away but it was of no use. My muscles were tense but not on my command. I gritted my teeth; one of the few actions I could still control. "You won't touch them." I could feel the flower's gentle petals against my skin. It reminded me of the many unconscious encounters with my predecessor, Aang. An inaudible growl left my lips at the sound of Mako's body hitting the ground with a groan. I couldn't see him, but I could feel the heat from his flames in the narrow hallway as he continued to fight. He was fighting, and I was just sitting here.

Amon stepped to the side, his cruel act so I could watch Mako suffer, I assume. I could see a puddle of blood pooling around his ribs. He was on his knees, gripping the side of his torso that was already injured; it must have hit the ground. Mako's determined, golden eyes stared into mine. He opened his mouth to speak before a fist hit his cheek. Amon knelt down before me; his cruel fingers gripped my chin forcing me to look at him. His eyes looked empty. As if a life constructed around this strange idea of equality had consumed him from an early age. "Do you want to kill me? It must torture you knowing the demise you have caused for both of your teammates." My heart began to race. I struggled violently to break free from this pain. What was going on? "That's right. Get angry. Lose control. It's the only way to save them and yourself." I stared up at him. What did he mean? I'm already angry! I'm furious! How was that supposed to help them? His mask brushed my ear as he whispered, "You know what to do. Let go."

The burning in my veins was growing unbearable. I closed my eyes. Biting my lip seemed to be the only way to hold back the scream of agony that was erupting from within. Amon jolted upright. He seemed to be growing impatient. My eyes were still closed but I could hear his footsteps tapping away. "Do you need more incentive?" My eyelids shot open. A deviant gloved hand had grappled onto Mako's hair, forcing his head back to expose the skin around his neck. Two chi-blockers held tightly to his arms, forcing him to his knees. One of the men kneed him in his crimson stained ribs when Mako tried to pull away. He winced but made no further acknowledgement to the pain. He was strong; so much stronger than his brother and me. His eyes slowly opened to meet my gaze. Behind that topaz gleam I expected to see hate, fear, agony. Instead I saw his familiar determination and guilt. The way his eyebrows buckled downward as he stared over at me I could tell he felt just as helpless as me. "This isn't about them!" I spat out, the excruciating backwards flow of blood still eradicating my veins. Amon held out his thumb, placing it against Mako's forehead. "But they are a vital part of my plan. Do you believe since they are not the _Avatar _that they are less important to this movement; that they don't matter?" My mouth opened, but I couldn't muster up the words or the strength to reply.

* * *

Mako's POV:

It was almost slow motion. From the moment I was sparring well against my outnumbering opponents to this moment: my arms captive to the chi-blockers, a knee to my already bloody side, then Amon's wicked hand grappling my hair and ripping it backwards. I could almost hear my neck snap at the pace in which he worked. Then, his thumb against my head; I glared up at him refusing to expose my fear for what was about to happen. I knew this wasn't death, but strangely enough, events began to flash before my eyes as if I were nearing those demonic gates to the afterlife. My sweet, innocent little brother never deserved this. He never deserved any of the tragic events he's been forced to face, but losing his bending? I couldn't escape this devastating sense of guilt. If I hadn't ran off when he was up against those chi-blockers… If I hadn't been more worried for Korra than my own brother… If I would have stayed behind to ensure his safety so we could escape together to rescue Korra, then maybe none of this would have happened. I could go back even farther, to the point when Korra confessed her love for me and I coldly turned her away, leaving her alone on that empty or what I thought was an empty street. The nagging ripple of fire from Asami's final gift to me yanked me back to the moment and away from my guilt-filled judgments. It was a scorching pain. I began to feel light-headed. I don't know if this is just how it felt when Amon claimed one's bending or if it was from the massive loss of blood. Amon kept shouting to Korra to do something. The words were hazy in my ringing ears. Korra had closed her eyes now. She looked like she were meditating or putting in a final prayer before accepting defeat. "Aang, c'mon! I'm doing the best I can!" My mouth snapped shut, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Amon and the chi-blockers stopped their bustling and stared over at her as well before turning their attention back to the task at hand.

In those short moments of silence, I tried desperately to think of a way to help Korra. Some piece of recollection seemed to wander back to me at the pace of a story; bits and pieces flooded my brain in flawless order. I had heard many stories growing up about the great Avatar Aang and all of the strife he faced as the child prodigy. I heard about how he met his soul mate, Katara, and her older brother. I had also heard about the crazed people that threatened to harm the girl in order to draw Aang into the Avatar state. These men wanted Aang's power, but Amon hates benders… so why would he want Korra to enter the Avatar State? Unless it was for a different reason that he wanted her to enter the Avatar state… I gasped aloud, not realizing the sound had actually left my throat. "Korra, stay calm. He wants you to go into the Avatar state—don't"- I glanced over at her. My heart pounded like a stick to the gong in my chest. My recognition came about far too late.

* * *

Korra's POV:

"Now. Child. Do it." His words were harsher than his typical ominous tone. A single tear began its glide down my cheek. "I don't know what you want!" I was trembling from the rage and frustration pulsing throughout my veins. My eyes widened for a moment. "Alone." The word left my lip in a soft hush. I wasn't alone. Aang wouldn't just abandon me and let the fate of this city and all of its citizen's fall at the hands of someone so corrupt. Would he? With no other options in site, I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath. _Okay Korra, think. _It was difficult attempting to draw my memories of Tenzin's various lectures about the spirit world while everyone around me fought. _Aang, please… _I pleaded in my head to my invisible predecessor. _I need you. Show me the way… What am I supposed to do? _

For a few quiet moments I grew impatient when nothing happened. I shifted my eyebrows from side to side; still one of the only real movements I could muster while my body continued trying to reject my soul. The burn in my veins was distracting. I steadied my breathing just as Tenzin had taught me. Then, I cleared my mind of anything that wasn't important. I don't know how those monks cleared _everything_ from their minds. I couldn't stop wondering about Tenzin and the airbabies and whether they were somewhere safe or in a situation similar to this. I frowned but had to force those thoughts aside as much as I was able. And of course Mako was still on my mind; him and Asami. Where was she? Was she safe too? Though I kind of envy her, I couldn't imagine wishing her into turmoil.

I growled under my breath. "Aang, c'mon! I'm doing the best I can!" The unconscious thought became a shout as it left my lips without my permission. I heard the shuffling and shouting quell as if everyone were now awkwardly staring at me. I was now grinding my teeth together. Just as I was about to groan and give up, my body began to tingle. I heard Amon chuckled and dared a glance at him. His finger pressed harder on Mako's forehead. Mako's eyes were full but determined as he glared up at his monster. He looked almost lost in thought. "I was hoping for more drama with this delicate love triangle which is unfortunate, but it was a love that would never have been anyways, child." His words no longer touched me. I was too low for his blows to reach. Aang wasn't coming. I was alone in this. I felt helpless for about the fifth time while being in this building of hell. This wasn't a feeling I was very used to. I typically wasn't such a weakling. Anger and defeat tugged at my heart. My eyes filled to the brim with tears, "Mako!"

I felt something shatter inside of me. This unseen enemy within me must have finally ruptured something. I closed my eyes, waiting for more pain to conspire against me when that shattered piece began to feel almost relieving as it rebuilt itself. A strange sense enveloped me before the burning sensation evaporated. I threw up my hands, not knowing what I was expecting to happen. Honestly, I figured my attempts would be futile, considering my current, unusual state of paralysis. It was as if some strange force had taken hold of me; regaining control of my muscles. A gust of wind rippled through me, forcing itself at my fearful adversary. His fingers untangled themselves from Mako's brunette locks before he was shot backwards into his henchmen. My eyes slowly opened. What had just happened? I curiously stared down at my innocent palms as if they would reveal to me what I had miraculously accomplished. I felt my eyes widen, realization sunk in, relief soaking away the pain and fear that had once enveloped me only moments ago. Did I just Airbend? The words didn't have a chance to leave my lips before everything around me flooded into white.

The overwhelming pain that had been gnawing at my skin seemed to be muted, giving me a cooling relief. My eyes opened but I saw nothing but a bright, white light. I blinked a few times but that light kept nagging at me, refusing to dim its blaze. I squinted, lifting the back of my palm to shield my eyes before I was blinded. My eyes shifted from the right to the left, not able to make out the shapes of my friends in the hallway. Where was Amon? I could no longer hear the sound of Amon's impatient demands. I could not smell the pungent scent of burning hair and skin from Mako's direct attacks. I opened my mouth to call to them, however then, a strong wind seemed to gust through the white room, carrying my current nightmares with it. My eyes were closed, but they still found me. It was almost as if I were being forced to relieve each moment all over again.

"_I really like you and I think we were meant to be together!" The words resonated in my ears followed by a stinging silence. I could hear my heart beating in my chest followed by the sound of his familiar footsteps walking away, leaving me alone in the darkness. "You're an amazing person, Korra. You will never be a back-up." The words sounded so forced. Either my memory was fuzzy or he just had nothing else he wanted to say to me. In this altered memory, I watched him leave; hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders strong and upright. Ahead of his path was that flawless outline of Asami. Just like that I was alone again. I frowned, watching them smile at each other. Mako was leaning in to kiss his girlfriend before they both faded against the white light and was now replaced by a dark veil. _

_At least that irritant of a light had finally dimmed. I opened one eye, then the other. The room wasn't just dark, it was a depth of black that was almost haunting. There was something familiar about the lack of life engulfing me. The sound of that terrifying stranger that now haunted my being seemed to echo off of these invisible walls. "I'm back." The fear and horror struck me. Thioh. He couldn't be here. This isn't real. I turned to crawl away until something heavy and cold seemed to meander its way around my wrists and ankles. I lifted my fist, striking around at the unseen enemy. His cackle rang out around me. My old shackles had found their home once again around my limbs. I scooted backwards until my back hit a barrier. His fingers traced my cheek, sending a tremor starting at my cervical spine and traveling down to my clanking knees. "Please, stop." The plea was all too familiar and all too unnecessary. I knew it was futile. Why would he obey this time? I saw the reflection of his pale teeth against the darkness before turning my gaze away. His cruel touch was something I could never forget. His fingers slid their way up my inner thigh. I waited. Mentally preparing myself for an act that no one can honestly prepare for, but nothing happened. I chanced a look back towards those glimmering teeth but saw nothing. _

_My heart was pounding wildly. I was alone in this darkness. I tucked my knees up into my chest, expecting to hear the clanking of chains from this movement but heard nothing. I lifted my arms out. A smile touched my lips; the chains were gone. My fingers felt moist though. I tried to light a flame on the tip of my finger to further examine my palms but nothing happened. My heart was now in my throat. Had Amon taken my bending? Nothing was happening. I tried again to no avail. Luckily, that blinding white light enveloped me once more and I was able to identify the moisture that had covered my skin. "Blood." I was swimming in it. This was familiar as well; however, this was from a dream. I heard Mako's shouts and groans in pain in the distance. "Mako!" I shouted, but just like the dream, I could not locate the direction of his cries. Ahead of me was a body, face down in the pool of crimson. I waded closer but really didn't want to flip it over again. I knew what I would see. I grew closer, touching my fingers to his shoulder. A deep, haggard breath filled my lungs. I flipped my friend over, expecting to be staring down at that terrified expression on Bolin's innocent face but instead, it was a man. He was bald and had donned the attire of an Airbender. His eyes were closed and he looked almost peaceful, besides the scarlet stains shrouding his frame. I stared down at Aang, terrified. _

_I can't do this alone. "Aang…" I need you. You have to show me what to do! Suddenly, something seemed to unravel within me. I felt as if I were splitting in two; painlessly, but I could feel a separation being made. I closed my eyes tightly. A strong wind seemed to gust through my body. His eyes shot open to reveal two bright flashes of light where his pupils should be. The arrow on his head and the two lining his arms were glowing. My arms flew up to shield my face as he shot out of the thick water. My legs no longer had to kick to keep me afloat for the blood had vanished. I was sitting on my knees on a grassy hill. Flowers surrounded me. I smiled, feeling that peaceful breeze rustle my hair. The heat of the sun felt comforting as it beat down against my skin. "Korra." Standing in front of me was Aang. His robes stain-free and his pupils were back to normal. He held a genuinely soft smile and his arms outstretched towards me. My fingers gripped the grass as I leaned towards him. My voice was an octave higher than normal. My body was trembling as each individual nightmare replayed with me in a flash._

"_Aang? Why? I should have never been chosen to be the Avatar! People keep getting hurt because of me… I'm no better than Amon. Why would they choose me?!" I hadn't even realized I was crying now until a tear hit the back of my palm. His hand fell on my shoulder. "You are not the first Avatar to ask that question. It's a lot of power and expectations to meet up to. But we believe in you, Korra. Tonight you have hit your lowest point, and through this, you have shown that you are capable of accessing your true power. But in the end, it is how you choose to use that power that separates you from Amon and all other benders." I stared at him, raising an eyebrow. "A little cliché' don't you think?" He was holding that flower in his hand again: a white lilac. It was fragile looking and very sad. Its petals refused to stand up. Aang held out his hand for mine. I hesitantly placed my palm in his before he held my hand over the flower. When he pulled it away, the flower was beautiful. I was smiling as I looked up at my predecessor. "What does this mean?" He just smiled back. _

_I was growing impatient. "You keep showing me this but I don't know what it means!" He shook his head. "The flower is not dead. It can still be saved. It's not withering away, it's merely wilted." My eyebrow twitched. I hated Airbender talk. They never just said what they meant. Now I knew where Tenzin got his ability to bore and confuse came from. He chuckled warmly at my expression, "I looked like that a lot when I was your age too." Aang sighed. "Just because the flower could not rise on its own, does not make it weak." I was still lost. I stared at him, hoping for more but before he could speak again, he was disappearing into a bright blue light. "No… Wait! Aang! I don't want to know about the stupid flower. I need help to save Republic City and my friends! Tenzin… Mako and Bolin… They all need me! Don't go…" I wiped away the tears that were building up in my eyes with the back of my forearm. The blue light reduced. Aang took a few steps backwards, glancing at me from over his shoulder. "Korra, do you know where you are?" I glanced around. The place was nothing I had ever seen before. I shrugged. "You are in the Spirit World." I gasped. I did it? I made it here? I punched the air. "Yes!" My excitement was instantly eliminated when I looked back to Aang. He was frowning now. "I am very proud of you. But you need to go back."  
I stood up, backing away from the previous Avatar. "Why?" His eyes held so much worry. They reminded me of both Mako's and Tenzin's over the past few weeks. "This is what Amon was trying to do… If you are in the Avatar State and he manages to kill you…" He stepped closer to me, bending down slightly so that we were at eye level. "Then the Avatar cycle will be broken, and both you and every other Avatar: past and present, will cease to exist." The color faded from my cheeks. I had obviously heard this before. But I had no idea this was Amon's plan. I also had no idea I was in the Avatar State. He reached out his palm towards me and I quickly grabbed it. "I will always be here when you need me. But right now, _they _need you. Go back." The man's frown seemed to deepen before he vanished into a puff of air and I was falling. The grass opened like a doorway, dropping me through the air. I tried grabbing around for something to hold onto but there was nothing. Suddenly, it felt as if my soul somehow reattached to something tangible. I gasped in a deep breath of air as my soul and body reconnected. I could hear Mako's voice again and all of the chaos I had temporarily escaped from. "Korra! Dammit, Korra. This is what he wants! Fight it!" _My eyes opened slowly; my eye lids felt heavy as if someone were forcing them closed.

"Come back!" Bolin's voice still sounded foreign and emotionless.

I was back in my body. I don't know how I knew this other than the fact that an overwhelming anger had taken hold of me and I once again felt whole in a way. My fists were quivering from how tightly compressed they were together. I had never held such rage. It was as if I were fighting to save the honor of a lost loved one. The anger may also be feeding off the fact that I couldn't see very well. It was almost like my body was being used as a vessel for more souls than just its usual one: mine. The strength of the previous Avatar's was rushing through my veins and constricting my muscles. I had only used airbending once, a few minutes ago on accident. But now, the element was coming to me naturally as if I had been doing it my whole life, for more than just my life for centuries. Amon's voice sounded close and surprisingly calm. "I finally did it." He laughed in that deep ominous tone. "Alright, time to finish her off." I gritted my teeth at his words before forcing an inferno of fire solely at him. "One fatal shot, men. That's all it should take."

* * *

Mako's POV:

A sudden burst of air knocked Amon, and those enemies that had grabbed hold of me, to the ground. Korra had just used airbending? I smiled at her but she was no longer conscious. She had just been sitting there, eyes closed, body unwavering. But thanks to her, I was safe, for now. I grabbed my side. It was a feeble attempt to quell the gushing blood from draining out of my body. My eyes examined their surroundings. First, they tilted to the side of the wall to my right where my little brother still sat. He held an empty stare while watching the ground beneath his fingertips. I frowned to myself before crawling towards him. Bolin glanced over, noticing I was attempting to make my way towards him. He flashed me a reassuring grin followed by a thumbs-up. I nodded in understanding before turning my direction towards the still girl. I sat in front of her, watching her. My fingers extended towards her. "Korra," Suddenly, her eyes shot open to reveal two glowing, pupil-less eyes. I stared into them as if lost in some kind of trance before a burst of air emanated around her, blowing me away. I nailed my back against one of the chi-blockers that had just managed to regain his balance.

Our Avatar friend was hovering towards the ceiling, her eyes directed at my location and the men surrounding me. Her arms moved in an intricate pattern in front of her small frame before launching a ball of fire towards the men I was now lying on top of. I rolled away, still holding my side with one hand. The attack blew out a wall. It would have easily killed every one of its desired targets had they not managed to stagger out of the line of fire. I had to stop her. "Korra!" I rushed over to the area that she was floating above. I don't think she was concerned with what I was saying. Her glowing eyes were on Amon. I stared over at the masked villain. He showed no sign of fear. Instead, his arms were extending from his sides in triumph. I turned back to Korra. She moved one hand around in a circle before releasing a tornado at the chi-blockers that were trying to approach her. "Korra! Dammit, Korra! This is what he wants! Fight it!" I could see my little brother out of the corner of my eye. He stood up. I looked at him. His shoulders were sagged forward and the way he shuffled his feet across the ground made it all too obvious that Amon had taken much more from him than just his bending. "Come back!" It was an ironic two words for him to be shouting in that dead voice. He didn't even sound like my brother anymore. The tone and pitch of his voice seemed darker, less joyful. I guess I was expecting to much to assume after losing his bending he would be completely normal ony an hour after the event occured.

"I finally did it." I stole a side glance at the source of the voice, my eyes narrow with annoyance. His voice grew slightly louder as he spoke to his 'henchmen.' "Alright, time to finish her off." I had now fully turned my attention from my brother and glared at Amon who was chuckling as he approached Korra. His laughter was full of excitement though his voice still sounded calm and cool as if his words were that of an everyday conversation instead of a threat on my best friend's life. "One fatal shot, men. That's all it should take."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Its 1am... i'm very tired.. so be kind.**

**Also, since the show was fast paced I wanted to stick to that concept. That's why a lot of the "danger" and big plot points may seem "rushed." Also, I see Korra as having a quick, spontaneous personality. The show traveled at a fast paced, so I kind of wanted to add that effect to this story. I plan on making the sequel a little slower of a pace, for more character development (which is one thing I wish I would have added more of in this story). I re-watched the series a few days ago to try and get a feel of the characters and flow of the time line/progression of the story and decided the finale was fitting for the pace they had begun with. I still wasn't too proud of it, but considering there is a second season it wasn't as disappointing as I found it to be the first time I watched it. Yes, I agree. I guess in a subtle way Mako did dump Asami. I just didn't catch that the first time I watched it. It just seemed more like… I don't know. Screw it. Lol Anyway, I just hope everyone is enjoying this so far and I'm really hoping the sequel to this story is a lot better than this one. Because I have already seen the entire first season, I feel like it will be so much better than this one since I had only a few episodes to spin off from for the first ten chapters. **

**Please review and let me know what you think!**

**-InconsciousSin.**


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